Accenture bets on British AI talent with Faculty buy
Professional services firm Accenture has announced the acquisition of London-based AI specialist Faculty, in a deal that cements the City’s role as a global talent hub.
The Dublin-based US firm said the acquisition will bring more than 400 AI specialists into Accenture’s workforce, deepening its capabilities in applied AI, decision intelligence and AI safety.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, but the deal is expected to close, subject to regulatory approval.
Founded in 2014, Faculty has built a reputation as one of the UK’s most sophisticated AI firms, working with government departments, the NHS and major corporates, as well as leading AI labs including OpenAI and Anthropic.
During the pandemic, it built the NHS ‘early warning system’ to predict patient demand and allocate critical care capacity.
For Accenture’s part, the takeover seems to be even more about people than products.
Faculty chief executive Marc Warner will become Accenture’s global chief tech officer and join its management committee, giving the UK firm a direct line into the consultancy giant.
Warner, a former Harvard quantum physics researcher and a former member of the UK’s AI council, has been a prominent voice on AI safety and regulation.
Julie Sweet, Accenture’s chair and chief executive, said the acquisition would “bring trusted, advanced IA to the heart of our clients’ businesses”.
A City deal with a global ambition
The buy folds Faculty’s intelligence platform into Accenture’s suite of products, bolstering its pitch to boards looking to hardwire AI into core business decisions.
Accenture said the software is already being used with life sciences clients like Novartis to improve the economics of clinical trials.
Faculty operates in a competitive space alongside giants such as Palantir and Quantexa, and has previously raised nearly £40m from investors.
The firm is known for its work on politically sensitive data projects, having carried out data analysis linked to the Vote to Leave campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum.
That chapter has kept it in the public eye alongside its government contracts.
The deal comes as Accenture doubles down on AI after investing billions globally and reshaping its workforce around the tech.
The consultancy now employs around 77,000 AI and data professionals, up from 40,000 in 2023.