Partners from across the Americas have been sharing their innovative AI concepts with us this year. We’re seeing several trends, but one has been particularly prominent: using AI to support business acceleration. From brainstorming to evaluating ideas, partners are using tools like Microsoft Copilot to turn concepts into action faster. In this blog, we’ll explore how Microsoft partners like BNY, Cisco, and GFT Technologies are integrating AI into their planning and strategy efforts.
Reclaiming time for innovation at BNY
Before AI, analyzing data for insights was a time-consuming and resource-intensive pursuit. Although there were tools available, it was still a highly manual process. AI supports partners in potentially cutting time to insight from days to minutes. Partners still need the right data and prompts, but the potential for faster and better responses is there. However, speed alone doesn’t create a competitive advantage.
Faster insights may lead to greater output, but that doesn’t ensure better outcomes. The shift happens when that reclaimed time is deliberately redirected toward higher-value work such as revisiting business priorities, identifying new growth opportunities, and aligning teams around what matters most. In practice, this means using AI not just to answer questions but to inform which questions should be asked next.
“AI has changed leadership in a way that we can move forward in our strategic initiatives,” says Deanna Lanier, Head of Data & Analytics Strategy and New Product Innovation at BNY. “Now, we can place more innovation into our processes, and we can certainly start thinking about the organization and how we change it from a digital perspective.”
Enabling insights is just the first step in BNY’s journey. The financial institution is reviewing both internal and external operations through an AI lens. Some opportunities to enhance existing practices have already been identified. With faster time to insight, BNY now has time to convert those opportunities into action.
Using AI as a brainstorming partner at Cisco
There are many ways to use AI, but research seems to be the most well-known. Many newer users see AI as an advanced search engine. Experienced users don’t simply ask it to generate content; however, they use it as a strategic accelerator.
Amy Bahlo, Partner Executive at Cisco, uses AI as a strategic tool. Previously, building a plan to present to leadership would involve a day whiteboarding ideas. Now, she has a virtual coworker to help her develop concepts. “I ask the AI tool to ‘interview’ me and ask all the questions and things that I haven’t thought about,” Bahlo says. “It really helps me guide and plan.”
For example, Bahlo uses AI to challenge her assumptions, enabling her to identify potential weak spots and course correct immediately. Beyond basic story development, AI can also prepare users for presentation day. They can conduct a QA review, ask for a fact check against source material, or generate a list of questions that might arise during the presentation.
For partners, these potential applications go beyond internal presentations. An AI tool such as Copilot can be used to refine a sales approach or pressure-test a proposal. Whether internal or customer-facing, AI can raise the level of conversation in the room and ensure partners are ready to address critical questions.
This is particularly relevant in executive conversations, where the quality of thinking often matters more than the volume of information. Partners who come prepared with perspectives that have already been challenged and refined stand out immediately. AI enables that level of preparation at scale, bringing forward potential objections, align messaging to business outcomes, and enter discussions with greater confidence and clarity.
Expanding perspective at GFT Technologies
One of the most undeused advantages of AI is its ability to expand perspective on demand. Every partner team has experienced being deep in a problem, working through familiar angles, and returning to known solutions. That is often where differentiation begins to fade. AI interrupts that pattern by introducing new ways of thinking in real time, for example, by using AI to prepare for meetings while on the go.
“Sometimes, I talk with an AI assistant while driving from one city to another. Then, I’m prepared for the next meeting. It’s something I couldn’t have imagined before,” says Carlos Mattos, CTO LATAM at GFT Technologies.
He can use the tool to confirm appointment details, review customer information, and make notes before or after the meeting. Additional information can be accessed quickly during the meeting, potentially providing a competitive advantage.
Over time, this creates a continuous loop of preparation, reflection, and improvement. Each interaction becomes an opportunity to refine ideas further, rather than starting from scratch. For partners, this kind of real-time augmentation can maintain momentum across engagements and ensure that insights are built upon instead of being lost between meetings.
Raising the leadership bar with AI
By now, the pattern is clear: partners are using AI to accelerate brainstorming, challenge assumptions, and bring new ideas to the table faster than ever before. But the real shift is not in the activity; it is in the expectation. This is where partners can stand out from the competition.
We encourage all of our partners to explore what they can do with Copilot and other AI tools. Get feedback on plans and pressure-test ideas. Review client details on the way to a meeting and dictate notes on the way back to the office. Use AI as a strategic accelerator—and to develop your own innovative ways of implementing the technology. When used intentionally, tools like Copilot can extend beyond productivity gains to become part of how leaders plan, engage, and execute at a higher level.
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