Accenture Appoints Arnab Chakraborty as its First Chief Responsible AI Officer

Accenture recently appointed Arnab Chakraborty as chief responsible AI officer to scale and monitor AI systems responsibly, alongside enhancing clients' growth and value across industries.

“Leaders acknowledge the importance of responsible AI principles, but there is a gap in their practical implementation—our research shows that only 2% of companies have fully operationalised responsible AI across their organisations,” shared Chakraborty. 

With over two decades of expertise, Chakraborty holds ten patents in machine learning solutions for business challenges. 

He has also been involved in shaping the WEF AI Governance Alliance and as a member of the US Senate AI Insight Forum, where he advises on the practical considerations of balancing AI innovation while mitigating risks.

“Clients are eager to embrace the potential of generative AI, and we are ready to help them build responsible AI into every use,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO of Accenture. “Our focus is to enable our clients to innovate AI safely and be ready to seize the opportunities that AI will bring in the decades ahead.”

Last year, in November, Accenture appointed Lan Guan as the company's first Chief AI Officer, recognizing her significant contributions to the field and her leadership in data and AI practices. 

Guan, who has been with Accenture for years, has a rich history of AI innovation, including building a robot to teach English to children in rural China at age 16. 

“We have a lot of work to make sure this technology is democratised and not limited to a small group,” said Guan. “A lot of clients I talk to want to have this kind of leadership role directly reporting to the CEO, so that they have the right leader to help them understand their individualised roadmap and what areas within their entire value chain they should start with first.”

Accenture's recent initiatives include expanding advisory and technology services to help companies establish and implement AI policies and standards. They are also introducing managed services to monitor AI solutions and ensure compliance with evolving regulations, such as the EU AI Act. 

Accenture's investment in AI is significant. The company recently recorded $1.1 billion from generative AI projects in the first half of the fiscal year, surpassing the combined revenue of all VC-backed startups in this sector. 

By focusing on responsible AI and extensive collaboration with industry partners, Accenture is poised to lead the charge in AI innovation while ensuring ethical standards and practices are maintained. 

“Accenture will pave the way to help our clients establish and embed responsible AI, closing the gap between principles and action,” added Chakraborty.