Publicis debuts company-wide AI system that aims to simplify work employees

Built with the help of Microsoft AI and the company’s own Publicis.Sapient, the new platform aims to connect all 80,000 Publicis employees, across 200 disciplines in 130 countries, to provide more seamless communication, collaboration, and anticipation of client needs. It’s currently being beta-tested by 100 employees, moving to 1,000 in the next few weeks, and the idea is to start the overall rollout in January, with a goal of having 80% of the company’s people connected by 2020. Essentially, Marcel is a mobile app for Android and iOS devices that interacts with employees via voice prompts, similar to Siri or Alexa. On a micro-level, the AI learns from employees’ calendar, email, and timesheets in order to better perform more macro tasks like suggesting colleagues across the network who may help on a particular project, or that someone has the capability and the time to pitch in on an open client brief. One example is the Daily Six, six suggestions or prompts each employee will receive every time they open the app that can range from an open brief pitch from the CMO of Walmart to a simple reminder to file that timesheet on time. Another example is Open Brief, which the company tested out with Walmart recently, issuing a brand challenge brief via the app. The winners were two creatives from a Publicis digital shop in Madrid.