Alice Chambers |
Microsoft and Siemens have developed a new generative artificial intelligence-powered assistant to improve productivity in the manufacturing sector.
The tool – called Siemens Industrial Copilot – aims to enhance human and machine collaboration by providing repair instructions for maintenance staff via natural language processing and quick access to simulation tools for engineers needing to fix machines.
“With this next generation of AI, we have a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation across the entire industrial sector,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft. “We’re building on our longstanding collaboration with Siemens and bringing together AI advances across the Microsoft Cloud with Siemens’ industrial domain expertise to empower both frontline and knowledge workers with new, AI-powered tools, starting with Siemens Industrial Copilot.”
Siemens will provide the automation and simulation information from its digital business platform Siemens Xcelerator while Microsoft will support the data on its Azure OpenAI Service. Plus, manufacturers will have access to other generative AI-powered tools via Teamcenter for Microsoft Teams, which will be generally available in December 2023.
The companies will also work together to create AI copilots that will assist professionals in other industries, such as infrastructure, transportation and healthcare.
“Together with Microsoft, our shared vision is to empower customers with the adoption of generative AI,” says Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens. “This has the potential to revolutionise the way companies design, develop, manufacture and operate. Making human-machine collaboration more widely available allows engineers to accelerate code development, increase innovation and tackle skilled labour shortages.”
Automotive supplier Schaeffler is one of the pilot companies that will deploy Siemens Industrial Copilot to reduce downtimes.
“With this joint pilot, we’re stepping into a new age of productivity and innovation,” said Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler Group. “This Siemens Industrial Copilot will help our team work more efficiently, reduce repetitive tasks and unleash creativity. We’re excited to partner with Siemens and Microsoft on this project.”