Publicis Sapient AI Labs will be part of Publicis Sapient after starting off as a joint venture in 2020.
Publicis is doubling down on generative AI by acquiring a full stake in Publicis Sapient AI Labs, which it helped launch in 2020.
Publicis Sapient AI Labs, which focuses on research and development and incorporating AI and data solutions for businesses, was founded as a joint venture with technology companies Elder Research and Tquila, which will no longer have stakes in the company.
Some client services that Sapient will be able to offer due to the acquisition include using hackathons and “fusion workshops” to find quick AI solutions for business problems, as well as providing training programs in areas such as prompt engineering and large language model development.
“The acquisition of Publicis Sapient AI Labs reinforces our continued investment in innovation, as well as our commitment to staying ahead of the AI curve,” Arthur Sadoun, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe said in a statement. “Through its bolstered digital business transformation services, Publicis Sapient will help clients identify critical challenges and issues that AI and data science can solve to deliver world-class innovation.”
Publicis didn’t disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Today's announcement is the latest example of holding companies making a push into the AI space. Omnicom in April announced a partnership with Adobe that included access to Adobe’s generative AI tools Adobe Firefly and Adobe Sensei GenAI. In a February earnings call, WPP CEO Mark Read said that AI has become a “fundamental” part of WPP’s business. Stagwell has also made investments in launching several AI-based companies, such as AI-driven PR company PRophet and an AI-powered SaaS asset management platform called SmartAssets.
Publicis has made investments in AI in the past, including perhaps its most well-known deal in the space, its 2018 partnership with Microsoft to help build its AI platform Marcel.
"The acquisition of Publicis Sapient AI Labs will accelerate our generative AI offerings, playing a critical role in enabling our clients to apply data and AI solutions to solve complex business problems and build data-driven organizations at scale," Nigel Vaz, CEO of Publicis Sapient said in a statement.
