Enterprises Embrace AI Assistants to Boost Productivity, Efficiency

The rise of generative and agentic artificial intelligence (AI) tools — capable of making decisions, communicating with users, and executing complex workflows — is being driven by a need for greater efficiency, reduced costs and competitive advantage in uncertain economic times.

However, the rapid deployment of AI assistants also brings risks: job displacement, ethical concerns around surveillance and bias, and AI’s propensity for hallucinations.

Nevertheless, the integration of AI assistants across various industries has accelerated, with companies deploying AI to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and transform operations.

What Are AI Assistants?

First, a definition. AI assistants are software programs that help users perform tasks, make decisions or retrieve information through natural language interactions.

These assistants can work in text, voice or are multimodal, and often use large language models, machine learning and automation tools to process prompts and generate useful outputs.

Common AI assistant tasks include writing, summarizing, data analysis and customer support. Enterprise-grade AI assistants are those that can integrate with internal company systems to do business tasks like financial reporting.

Unlike traditional software programs like Microsoft Word, AI assistants continuously learn and improve over time.

For businesses, AI assistants are usually first deployed internally to help employees become more efficient. Some deploy them for customers, but these interactions also carry risks if the chatbots aren’t accurate.

According to a PYMNTS Intelligence report, nearly all product leaders surveyed have integrated generative AI into their workflows.

But despite adoption, human oversight remains standard. Even in tasks like fraud detection, fewer than half of CPOs report systems functioning without human input, and 77% require it for cybersecurity management. Automation is not yet widespread.

Read more: Chief Product Officers Say GenAI Still Needs a Human Chaperone

Internal AI Assistants Across Industries

To understand how this trend is playing out on the ground, it’s useful to look at how companies across sectors are deploying AI assistants internally. From banking and retail to healthcare, industries are using AI tools to automate repetitive tasks, assist with decision-making and provide support to employees.

Below are some examples of how major enterprises are integrating AI assistants into their operations.

Banking

• Bank of America has deployed Erica for Employees to help employees with tasks like IT support and HR inquiries. It has led to a 50% reduction in IT service desk calls. The bank also rolled out askMERRILL and askPRIVATE BANK wealth management assistants. These build upon its customer-facing chatbot, Erica, which has handled more than 2.5 billion interactions with clients.
• Goldman Sachs has rolled out the GS AI assistant to its bankers, traders and other employees. It can do things such as summarize documents, draft emails, create bullet points for a speech and more. The assistant will eventually transform into a smarter sidekick with the traits of a seasoned Goldman executive.
• JPMorgan Chase has deployed LLM Suite, an AI assistant that can help employees write emails, analyze contracts, do research and perform other tasks. But the bank did not develop its own AI models to power LLM Suite; instead, the assistant can tap external large language models like those from OpenAI.

See also: Bank of America to Spend $4 Billion on AI and New Tech Initiatives in 2025

Retail

• Amazon has deployed Amazon Q for both clients and employees. The AI assistant can help with generating content, coding, data analysis and other business functions. Last year, it unveiled Cedric, an internal tool to assist with employee tasks such as document review, brainstorming and summarization.
• Walmart’s “My Assistant” AI assistant for employees helps them find answers to questions, access training materials and resolve issues. It is particularly helpful to customer-facing employees.
• Target rolled out its “Store Companion,” an AI chatbot that can answer questions about job procedures, coach new employees and support store operations, among other capabilities.

Healthcare

• Cedars-Sinai has deployed its Aiva Nurse Assistant to alleviate the administrative burden on nurses. By streamlining documentation and other routine tasks, the hospital aims to allow nurses to focus more on patient care. This has led to improved workflow efficiency and reduced time spent on administrative duties.
• SoundHound has partnered with Allina Health to deploy a voice AI agent for patient engagement, powered by its Amelia conversational AI platform. This initiative aims to improve patient satisfaction and streamline appointment management.
• The Mayo Clinic has deployed several AI assistants to help its clinical and administrative staff. These include a Provider Co-Pilot for physicians that integrates electronic medical records to automate patient intake, synthesize data and general insights.

Read also: AI Coding Assistants Give Big-Tech Powers to Small Businesses

Read more: Inside Goldman Sachs’ Big Bet on AI at Scale