finance
IBM Executive Develops AI Agent to Prepare for Client Meetings
Dave McCann, global managing partner for transformation at IBM Consulting, created an AI agent named Digital Dave to handle meeting preparations. The agent scans calendars, conducts research, and generates briefing lists, replacing 30-minute prep calls. McCann reported saving five hours per week, allowing more time for client interactions.
Apr 9, 2:06 PM·2m read1 source
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Dave McCann, global managing partner for transformation at IBM Consulting, developed an AI agent named Digital Dave to assist with preparations for client meetings. The agent, which consists of multiple AI components, reviews McCann's calendar to identify upcoming client meetings and drafts a list of 10 key points for each.
This process replaces previous methods that involved team members compiling briefing documents and conducting 30-minute preparation calls.
IBM Consulting employs nearly 150,000 people worldwide and serves thousands of clients, including Nestle, Ericsson, and Riyadh Air. McCann interacts with about 10 clients per week. He stated that the agent saves him approximately five hours of preparation time each week.
The AI agent was built by McCann and his team starting in the fall, based on a tool developed through an internal company competition.
It analyzes internal IBM data, market activities of IBM and clients, external data, and account details such as project status and services provided. The agent also examines industry trends and client needs, for instance, by reviewing a client's annual report to identify potential IBM services. McCann noted that the agent's use extends beyond client meetings.
He employs it to evaluate hundreds of IBM Consulting partners annually, reviewing data on services sold, profits generated, training provided, and team development impact. Previously, this evaluation relied on multiple spreadsheets and pivot tables; now, data is processed through a model allowing specific queries about performance metrics.
The agent frees up time for three or four staff members who previously spent hours gathering insights for preparations, enabling them to focus on other tasks.
McCann reported that team members under him have developed their own AI agents, fostering internal sharing and competition to improve these tools. This sharing creates opportunities for wider use within the company. Across industries, companies ranging from startups to large firms are developing AI agents to handle routine knowledge work tasks previously performed by humans.
