Building on their longstanding collaboration with Microsoft, ABB has introduced ABB Ability™ Genix Copilot, a generative AI solution designed to enhance efficiency, productivity, and sustainability across industries such as energy and utilities. Genix Copilot leverages large language models like GPT-4, specifically tailored for industrial applications. Unlike traditional natural language processing that works mainly with text, Genix Copilot integrates real-world data from production environments, delivering insights that can immediately improve industrial operations.
ABB estimates that integrating Genix Copilot into its industrial digital solutions could lead to significant cost savings in operations and maintenance, boost production efficiency, and improve sustainability metrics like optimized energy use and reduced emissions. “At ABB, digitalization and AI are central to delivering more value to our customers, with a substantial part of our R&D workforce dedicated to digital, AI, and software development,” said Peter Terwiesch, President of ABB Process Automation. “Collaboration with Microsoft on generative AI marks an important step in driving innovation and shaping the future of industry, empowering our customers to make leaner, cleaner operations.”
“Working with ABB, we’re truly pushing the boundaries of what generative AI can do for industry. Genix Copilot has the potential to revolutionize industrial operations, providing users with a practical, easy-to-use tool that enhances efficiency, productivity, and sustainability,” said Sonja Meindl, Enterprise Commercial Director at Microsoft Switzerland.
Genix Copilot’s architecture is designed to handle and process data from various sources, including shop floor operations, operator conversations, enterprise systems, unstructured data, and metadata. Its intuitive conversational interface allows users to ask questions about operational parameters like asset health, performance, fault analysis, and more, and receive clear, concise responses. For instance, a maintenance manager can request a summary of the day’s events for their plant, including insights on critical assets that may require attention, root cause analysis, and the status of work orders.
Genix Copilot provides a role-based user experience, offering real-time actionable insights to various functions across an industrial organization—executives in the boardroom, specialists analyzing performance metrics, and engineers troubleshooting equipment. The solution emphasizes data security, capturing operator knowledge and enabling collaborative decision-making across roles.
Three use cases are already gaining traction with early adoption. The Genix Asset Performance Management Copilot aids maintenance teams in asset-intensive sectors by delivering real-time, natural language insights. It summarizes critical events, provides contextual analytics, and offers actionable recommendations, including predictive maintenance insights, to enhance asset performance and minimize downtime.
The Genix My Measurement Assistant Copilot simplifies troubleshooting and maintenance for industrial devices by providing quick access to relevant documentation, error codes, and spare part details, improving operational efficiency. Additionally, the Genix Sustainability Insights Copilot empowers industries to advance their sustainability initiatives by offering actionable insights into energy consumption and emissions management, enabling informed decision-making for greener operations.
ABB is a global leader in electrification and automation, driving a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By combining engineering and digitalization expertise, ABB helps industries perform at their best, improving efficiency, productivity, and sustainability to outperform competitors. ABB calls this ‘Engineered to Outrun’. The company has a history spanning over 140 years and employs more than 105,000 people worldwide. ABB’s shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ABBN) and Nasdaq Stockholm (ABB).
