Professional services and consultant firm Deloitte announced a landmark AI enterprise deal with Anthropic the same day it was revealed the company would issue a refund for a government-contracted report that contained inaccurate AI-produced slop.
The upshot: Deloitte’s deal with Anthropic is a referendum on its commitment to AI, even as it grapples with the technology. And Deloitte is not alone in this challenge.
The timing of this announcement is interesting — comical even. On the same day Deloitte touted its increased use of AI, the Australia Department of Employment and Workplace Relations said the consulting company would have to issue a refund for a report it did for the department that included AI hallucinations, the Financial Times reported.
The department had commissioned a A$439,000 “independent assurance review” from Deloitte, which was published earlier this year. The Australian Financial Review reported in August the review had a number of errors, including multiple citations to non-existent academic reports. A corrected version of the review was uploaded to the department’s website last week. Deloitte will repay the final installment of its government contract, the FT reported.
