How IBM uses AI

IBM's CIO organization receives around 785,000 IT support tickets a year covering device setup, password resets, VPN problems and replacements. It launched AskIT, built on watsonx Assistant after an analysis of over 300,000 support tickets and trained on the 80% of IT issues the company faces most often. It covers more than 200 support topics in more than 40 languages for over 280,000 employees. In its first four months more than 133,000 employees used it.

• Containment rate: at least 75%, first four months after release

  "Of the queries that were submitted, over 75% were resolved by the new assistant itself."

  Claimed by: organization
• Users served: at least 133,000, first four months after release

  "In the four months since AskIT’s release, over 133,000 IBM employees used the tool at least once."

  Claimed by: organization

IBM built its own "predictive attrition program" using AI on internal HR data to flag employees at risk of resigning. Then CEO Ginni Rometty described the results publicly at a CNBC @Work conference in April 2019: the model was in the 95% accuracy range at identifying workers planning to leave, and the program had saved IBM nearly $300 million in retention costs.

• Accuracy: about 95%

  "IBM artificial intelligence technology is now 95 percent accurate in predicting workers who are planning to leave their jobs, said Rometty."

  Claimed by: organization
• Cost savings: about USD 300 million

  "AI has so far saved IBM nearly $300 million in retention costs."

  Claimed by: organization

IBM's internal virtual agent AskHR automates more than 80 HR tasks, from payslip and sickness policy questions to job verification letters and vacation requests, and lets managers start transfers and organization changes in SAP SuccessFactors. AskHR has been refined since 2016; IBM added watsonx Orchestrate for generative and agentic automation in 2025. IBM reports high containment, fewer tickets and lower HR operating cost from the assistant over that longer period.

• Containment rate: 94%, common questions

  "AskHR also achieved a 94% containment rate of common questions, has led to a 75% reduction in support tickets raised since 2016, and created more than 11.5 million employee interactions in 2024 alone."

  Claimed by: organization
• Interactions handled: at least 11.5 million, calendar year 2024

  "AskHR also achieved a 94% containment rate of common questions, has led to a 75% reduction in support tickets raised since 2016, and created more than 11.5 million employee interactions in 2024 alone."

  Claimed by: organization
• Contact deflection: 75%, HR support tickets raised, since 2016

  "AskHR also achieved a 94% containment rate of common questions, has led to a 75% reduction in support tickets raised since 2016, and created more than 11.5 million employee interactions in 2024 alone."

  Claimed by: organization
• Cost reduction: 40%, over four years

  "The AI agent helped contribute to a 40% reduction in the HR team’s operational costs over the past four years."

  Claimed by: organization
• Employee adoption: 99%, managers

  "The adoption of AskHR has reached 99% among managers."

  Claimed by: organization