Cisco partners with Mistral AI to launch productivity-boosting agent

Cisco’s AI Renewals Agent will pull in real-time data from more than 50 different sources to generate tailored renewal proposals that align with customer-specific outcomes

Cisco has entered into a partnership with French artificial intelligence startup Mistral AI to develop an advanced AI agent designed to enhance Cisco’s product renewal process. This AI-powered solution aims to reduce operational time for Cisco's renewal teams, enabling them to work more efficiently and deliver a better experience for customers.

Founded by former Google and Meta employees in 2023, Mistral AI is known for its specialization in open-weight large language models (LLMs). The new AI Renewals Agent, a key product of this collaboration, will leverage Mistral’s state-of-the-art LLM technology to automate and streamline Cisco's internal renewal processes. The collaboration aligns with Cisco’s broader strategy to use artificial intelligence to enhance its internal operations and customer engagement.

Boosting efficiency and customization in Renewal proposals

Cisco’s AI Renewals Agent will pull in real-time data from more than 50 different sources to generate tailored renewal proposals that align with customer-specific outcomes. By automating these processes, Cisco estimates the new system will reduce the time required to build a proposal and prepare for customer interactions by up to 20% initially, with further improvements expected over time.

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The AI model is designed to provide high levels of data security, privacy, and compliance, as it will function on-premises, ensuring that sensitive customer information is handled securely. Cisco is confident that this new AI tool will further enhance the customer experience, a major focus for the company as it strives to continuously improve its offerings.

Liz Centoni, Cisco's Chief Customer Experience Officer, commented on the strategic importance of the collaboration, stating, “Mistral AI is a critical partner for Cisco Customer Experience as we build towards an Agentic-AI-Led future." She emphasized that the AI Renewals Agent is just the beginning, with many more AI-powered solutions set to come. Centoni also highlighted that the partnership would reduce friction within internal processes, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks.

Expansion plans and industry impact

With Mistral AI’s recent $640 million Series B funding round in June, the company has gained significant momentum in the AI space. Cisco’s investment and collaboration with Mistral could pave the way for even more AI-driven solutions to streamline operations across various departments.

In addition, Cisco plans to expand the reach of the AI Renewals Agent beyond its own operations, intending to share insights and data with its partner network. This could empower partners to improve their own renewal processes, thus enhancing the overall customer experience across Cisco’s broader ecosystem.

As both companies continue to develop AI solutions, this partnership is expected to have a lasting impact on how Cisco operates and engages with its customers, marking a significant step in the future of enterprise AI.