AT&T is aggressively expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities, moving beyond traditional AI applications into generative AI and large language models to revolutionize how its 100,000+ employees work. The telecommunications giant, which serves over 100 million individual customers and 2.5 million business clients in the US, has deployed Ask AT&T—an internal generative AI tool that’s generating the equivalent of approximately 1 billion words per day.
The company’s AI journey began with traditional applications including fraud detection and route optimization for field technicians. However, in 2023, AT&T took a significant leap forward by launching Ask AT&T, developed in partnership with Microsoft and built on OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to Andy Markus, AT&T’s Chief Data Officer, the company recognized generative AI’s potential to “drive value for our company and our customers” at an enterprise scale.
Ask AT&T’s capabilities span multiple critical business functions. Software developers use the tool to write and refine code faster, while customer service teams leverage it to summarize phone calls and documents. A standout feature called AskData enables employees to query large databases using plain language—for instance, managers can ask “Which stores in this region had the biggest increase in foot traffic last week?” and the tool automatically translates the request into SQL code, eliminating the manual coding process.
The results have been impressive: AT&T reports software development time has been reduced by 10% to 30% depending on the task, and customer service agents are saving several minutes per call. The tool ranks highly on the GenAI BIRD leaderboard, which measures the accuracy of generative AI platforms worldwide in translating plain text into SQL.
Beyond development and customer service, Ask AT&T is being deployed across supply chain management and contracts teams, providing insights into credits, rebates, and contract renewals. The company continues expanding use cases, including HR question answering, financial analysis, real-time voice queries, and digital avatars to enhance user experience. With legal, privacy, and compliance teams involved from the start, AT&T has ensured the initiative meets rigorous internal standards while delivering measurable business value.
Key Quotes
Generative AI was that next-level jump. We saw the potential of generative AI at the enterprise scale to really drive value for our company and our customers.
Andy Markus, AT&T’s Chief Data Officer, explained the company’s strategic decision to expand from traditional AI into generative AI, highlighting the technology’s transformative potential at enterprise scale.
It makes their jobs easier so they can serve our customers better.
Markus described the impact of Ask AT&T on employee productivity, emphasizing how the tool enhances rather than replaces human workers by automating routine tasks and allowing staff to focus on customer service.
Humans are always in the loop, but it’s really helping there.
When discussing the tool’s role in automating software development processes including coding, testing, and integration, Markus emphasized AT&T’s commitment to maintaining human oversight while leveraging AI efficiency gains.
The beauty is all parts of the company have a use case where we can apply this functionality and help them out.
Markus highlighted the versatility of Ask AT&T across AT&T’s diverse business operations, from HR to finance to supply chain, demonstrating the broad applicability of generative AI in large enterprises.
Our Take
AT&T’s Ask AT&T initiative exemplifies mature enterprise AI strategy—moving beyond buzzwords to deliver measurable ROI across multiple departments. The 1 billion words generated daily isn’t just an impressive metric; it represents fundamental workflow transformation for over 100,000 employees. What’s particularly noteworthy is AT&T’s emphasis on human-in-the-loop design, addressing widespread concerns about AI replacing workers. Instead, the company is reinvesting productivity gains into innovation rather than cost-cutting through layoffs.
The partnership with Microsoft and OpenAI demonstrates the emerging enterprise AI ecosystem, where telecommunications giants leverage specialized AI providers rather than building everything in-house. AT&T’s high ranking on the GenAI BIRD leaderboard validates their technical implementation quality. As the company expands into voice interfaces and digital avatars, they’re positioning themselves at the forefront of next-generation workplace AI, potentially creating competitive advantages in both operational efficiency and customer experience that smaller competitors will struggle to match.
Why This Matters
AT&T’s comprehensive generative AI deployment represents a significant milestone in enterprise AI adoption, demonstrating how large organizations can successfully integrate cutting-edge technology across diverse business functions. With over 100,000 employees accessing the platform and generating 1 billion words daily, this case study provides concrete evidence of generative AI’s scalability and practical value beyond experimental pilots.
The 10-30% reduction in software development time and measurable customer service improvements validate the business case for enterprise AI investment, potentially influencing other Fortune 500 companies’ AI strategies. AT&T’s approach—involving legal, privacy, and compliance teams from inception—offers a blueprint for responsible AI deployment at scale.
Most significantly, AT&T is reinvesting savings from improved productivity into new technology products rather than reducing headcount, presenting a positive model for AI-driven transformation that enhances rather than replaces human workers. As the company expands into voice interfaces and digital avatars, it’s pioneering next-generation enterprise AI applications that could define workplace technology for the coming decade. This positions AT&T as both a major AI consumer and potential innovator in telecommunications-specific AI applications.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/att-gen-ai-llm-tech-automate-software-code-customer-service-2024-11