Coca-Cola collaborates with Microsoft, investing $1.1B in a groundbreaking generative AI experiment.

The Coca-Cola Company and Microsoft have entered into a five-year partnership to develop and incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) applications into various business functions. Coca-Cola has committed $1.1 billion to Microsoft Cloud to leverage its generative AI and cloud capabilities. The collaboration will involve experimenting with Azure OpenAI Service and other technologies to create innovative AI applications for different business areas. Additionally, the companies will test the effectiveness of the Microsoft Copilot Microsoft 365 AI assistant in enhancing workplace productivity. Coca-Cola has already migrated all its applications to Microsoft Azure as part of this initiative. Judson Althoff, Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, stated that Coca-Cola is currently exploring the use of generative AI-powered digital assistants to enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and improve efficiency. The partnership between Coca-Cola and Microsoft in the field of AI began in 2020 with a $250 million agreement. Neeraj Tolmare, Senior Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer for The Coca-Cola Company, expressed that Microsoft’s capabilities have accelerated their adoption of AI and created additional enterprise value. In related news, Microsoft plans to make a significant long-term investment in the United Kingdom to advance AI language models and infrastructure. They are also establishing an AI hub in the country to collaborate with AI teams worldwide and partners like OpenAI.