As businesses around the globe act to understand and capitalize on the full potential of artificial intelligence, global advisory and advocacy communications consultancy APCO Worldwide announced that it is launching a new form of adaptive intelligence called Margy — an advanced form of AI that dynamically brings the collective wisdom and history of APCO’s powerful team to its client strategy and work, and learns from the firm’s top experts to provide better insights over time — as well as a comprehensive AI advisory offering to help clients navigate this moment of transformation.
Margy is inspired by founder Margery Kraus, under whose leadership APCO has emerged from a small practice inside Arnold and Porter to a powerhouse global consulting firm.
“At APCO, we believe that AI should not be looked at as a tool for people to use to do their jobs. Instead, we see AI as an opportunity to harness the collective wisdom of our global employees, our top advisers, and 40 years of history, synthesize it in a streamlined way for every unique situation our clients face, and then make it available to our team,” said Evan Kraus, president and managing director of operations at APCO. “That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce Margy, who will help us deliver better, more valuable insights for our clients, as well as our new AI advisory offering, which will help clients navigate one of the most disruptive business environments we’ve seen in decades.”
Margy, which emerged from APCO’s AI Comms Lab after more than five years of testing and experimentation under the leadership of renowned AI strategist Dr. Abdullah Sahyoun and his team, is an empowered, forward-thinking adviser that understands clients’ business challenges. She can automate content generation, help teams work more efficiently and has a reputation management tool that monitors a client’s online presence and manages potential crises. Margy also allows teams to provide a comprehensive view of their work, progress and impact using intuitive dashboards that are updated in real time. She performs these skills by seamlessly integrating with different data sources and formats and making sense of large amounts of information using advanced techniques.
“Margy represents the unification of all our AI capabilities into one evolving entity, blending AI and human collaboration,” said Imad Lahad, managing director of Dubai and head of AI Comms Lab. “We created her to be a wise, more experienced member of the team, who can give our employees and our clients a competitive advantage in the market — just like Margery does for many of our teams today in real life.”
APCO has also created a new AI advisory offering for clients who are facing business challenges, navigating their own AI transformations, or are anxious to fast-forward their growth and gain market share.
“Our clients want to leverage AI to fast-forward their business, upskill their staff and position themselves for increased productivity and profits — but they know they need to act now or risk being left behind,” said Emily Scherberth, managing director of APCO West and North America tech practice lead. “The current moment is one of listening, learning and responsible experimentation. We are partnering with clients to help them navigate this journey and actualize the potential of this transformative time.”
