Accenture plans $1 billion investment in AI safety business

Accenture plans to invest $1 billion over five years to build an AI safety business, including a dedicated laboratory and team, management said during its latest earnings call. The company said its relationship with Anthropic is nonexclusive and that it expects to work with multiple frontier AI labs. Accenture also reported that AI productivity gains are putting downward pressure on prices for like-for-like contract renewals. Management said it is offsetting that pressure by winning new work and expanding project scope. The company expects to continue hiring in every market in fiscal 2027, but at a slower rate partly because of AI productivity.