Cisco has reported that its internal artificial intelligence assistant is saving engineers an average of six hours per week and other staff members five hours, according to company data. The platform, which earned a 2026 CIO 100 Award for IT innovation, was developed to provide a secure alternative to consumer-grade generative AI tools that employees began using in late 2022 and early 2023.
Srini Namineni, Cisco’s chief automation officer, stated that leadership initially debated whether to block the use of public AI models due to data security risks. Instead of implementing a ban, the company launched a secure internal platform in late 2023. This decision aimed to consolidate a potentially fragmented AI ecosystem into a single system while allowing staff to connect to multiple underlying models.
The assistant, available to workers since 2024, had more than 96,000 users by the first quarter of 2026, representing a 90% adoption rate among eligible staff. Internal polling indicates that 79% of users believe the tool saves time, 72% say it boosts productivity, and 71% note improvements in work quality.
The monthly cost per user is approximately $10, which Namineni noted is lower than the subscription fees for several commercial AI assistants.
Originally integrating Azure OpenAI and Google Gemini, the system can now incorporate new AI models within weeks of an employee request. It functions as a coding copilot, HR assistant, and general productivity tool. For instance, the platform helps developers identify minor software bugs and generate unit tests.
Employees can also share prompts with colleagues and manage HR tasks, such as scheduling vacation days, without accessing separate services.