ABB and Microsoft launch AI Copilot with ‘potential to transform industry’
11 December 2024 
ABB has joined forces with Microsoft to launch a generative AI tool that helps industrial users to improve efficiency, productivity and sustainability by contextualising vast amounts of data and providing actionable insights in an intuitive manner. The ABB Ability Genix Copilot uses large language models, such as GPT-4, that have been customised for industrial uses.
Unlike traditional natural language processing that works mainly with text, the new tool uses data from real-world production environments, providing insights that can be implemented immediately to improve industrial operations.
ABB says that by embedding Genix Copilot’s capabilities into digital systems, users will be able to achieve significant cost savings in their operations and maintenance, boost production efficiency, and drive improvements in sustainability metrics such as energy use and emissions.
Three Genix-based applications are already being used by early adopters:
- Genix My Measurement Assistant Copilot, which streamlines troubleshooting and maintenance for industrial devices by using AI to access relevant documentation, error codes and spare part details.
- Genix Asset Performance Management Copilot, which delivers an intuitive experience for maintenance teams in asset-intensive industries, providing real-time insights in natural language, summarising key events, as well as delivering contextual analytics and actionable recommendations. With predictive maintenance insights, it helps to improve asset performance and minimise downtime.
- Genix Sustainability Insights Copilot, which helps users to monitor and enhance their sustainability efforts by providing actionable insights on energy consumption and emission management.
“At ABB, digitalisation and AI are at the core of delivering more value to our customers, with a substantial part of our R&D workforce dedicated to digital, AI and software,” says Peter Terwiesch, president of ABB Process Automation. “Collaboration of ABB and Microsoft on generative AI is an important step in driving innovation and shaping the future of industry, helping our customers outrun – leaner and cleaner. With Genix Copilot, we can bring a new era of user experience, collaboration and consumerisation of real-time actionable insights across roles.
“By embedding Genix Copilot capabilities in our Genix solutions, we’re empowering customers to make faster, data-driven decisions that help them improve productivity, efficiency and sustainability.”
“Working with ABB, we’re truly pushing the boundaries of what generative AI can do for industry,” adds Sonja Meindl, enterprise commercial director at Microsoft Switzerland. “Genix Copilot has the potential to transform industrial operations, offering customers a practical, easy-to-use tool that enhances efficiency, productivity and sustainability.”
Genix Copilot is designed to handle and process data from multiple sources, including shopfloor operations, operator conversations, enterprise systems, unstructured data and metadata, to deliver comprehensive insights with natural language support.
The tool’s intuitive conversational interface allows users to inquire about operational parameters, such as asset health, performance, fault analysis and more, receiving clear, concise responses. For example, a maintenance manager can ask for a summary of the day’s events for their plant, including insights on critical assets that may need attention, root cause analysis, as well as the status of the work orders.
Genix Copilot offers real-time actionable insights into various functions across an industrial organisation – from boardroom executives to specialists analysing performance metrics, and engineers troubleshooting equipment. It cans capture an operator’s knowledge and facilitates collaborative decision-making across roles.
