Meta courts Accenture, Deloitte to sell AI, report says

Meta Platforms has started building a sales organization to sell its artificial intelligence products to small and midsize businesses. It is also forming ties with consulting firms and systems integrators, including Accenture, Deloitte and IBM, to help sell its AI to large companies, The Information reported on Monday, November 9. The report describes these as the next steps in Meta's plan to build a new business selling AI products to companies. It is the clearest sign yet that the social media company is building the sales channels that corporate software vendors depend on.theinformation.com

Two routes to customers

The plan has two parts. Meta would sell directly to smaller customers, and it would use consultancies to help large enterprises deploy its technology. MT Newswires, citing The Information's source, reported that the relationships with Accenture, Deloitte and IBM are meant to support sales of Meta's products to corporate customers. The size of the sales team and the terms of any partnerships were not disclosed. A Meta spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.marketscreener.com+1

Building on the enterprise launch

The move follows Meta's September 28 launch of Meta Enterprise Platform. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called it "the next major pillar of our business." Meta said the platform would first offer the Muse agent, Meta Business Agent, Muse API and Muse Code to businesses and developers. The company hired Chirantan "CJ" Desai, who had been chief executive of MongoDB, to lead the effort as chief enterprise platform officer, TechCrunch reported. The next day, Meta released Muse for Small Business. The tool connects its agent to workplace software from companies such as Zoom, Intuit and Slack. Meta President Dina Powell McCormick told CNBC that the company has "200 million small business owners" on its platforms.about.fb.com+3

The trust question

Meta is entering a crowded market. Analysts say its main obstacle may be credibility rather than technology. An Info-Tech analyst told CIO that rivals such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Salesforce also offer capable models and agents. The company's past enterprise attempts have also drawn scrutiny. Meta returned to the workplace market four months after shutting down Workplace from Meta, and Muse's consumer launch was followed by reports of security problems. Some firms are still evaluating Meta's tools. One security team is reviewing whether Muse meets the strict data requirements of clients such as financial institutions, according to Yahoo Finance. An executive quoted there noted that "anything you give it goes into Meta's data centers."cio.com+2

Large consulting firms already handle much of the integration work inside big companies. That could help Meta reach customers that have been wary of handing their data to an advertising giant.