Publicis Groupe and Microsoft partner for AI collaboration platform

French public relations firm Publicis Groupe and Microsoft have partnered to develop Marcel, a new system that uses cognitive services and artificial intelligence to improve the way the group's teams and clients connect and work together. Publicis.Sapient, the group's technology arm, is defining the architecture, design and user experience. Microsoft will build the platform, leveraging Microsoft Azure AI and Office 365. The Marcel platform will identify relevant connections amongst Publicis Group's 80,000 employees and enable employees to take advantage of the combined experiences that exist around its group. Publicis Groupe has been testing new collaborative models that are already driving results for some of its major global clients.