TLDR: NBN Co is deeply embedding artificial intelligence and automation into its core operations, with significant investments and the deployment of several AI-powered tools aimed at enhancing efficiency, customer service, and internal processes. The company’s CEO, Ellie Sweeney, highlighted existing tools for design, support, and knowledge access, alongside plans for future AI assistance in appointment management.
NBN Co, Australia’s wholesale broadband provider, is making substantial strides in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and automation into the very “fabric” of its operational framework. This strategic shift, detailed by CEO Ellie Sweeney during an annual results briefing, underscores the company’s commitment to leveraging advanced technologies for improved outcomes across its people, partners, and customers. The investment in these capabilities is already in the tens of millions of dollars, with further significant spending planned.
“We’re embedding AI and automation into the fabric of our operations, as a powerful enabler of better outcomes for our people, our partners and our customers,” stated Ellie Sweeney. This initiative builds upon regulatory disclosures made last month regarding NBN Co’s substantial investment in AI and automation.
The company has already rolled out several key AI-powered tools:
“Ask NBN”: A generative AI tool designed to unlock vast amounts of technical documentation. Sweeney noted that this tool “unlocks thousands of pages of technical documentation, making it easier for our teams to access the right information faster,” thereby streamlining internal knowledge access.
‘Design AI’: This tool is transforming network planning and construction. It empowers engineers to “design with greater speed, greater accuracy and efficiency,” optimizing the rollout and maintenance of NBN’s infrastructure.
AI-powered support engines: These engines are revolutionizing interactions with retail service providers (RSPs). They convert conversations into actionable outcomes, optimize API performance for automated processes, and streamline access to crucial information, including details on the upcoming ‘Accelerate Great’ speed uplift program.
AI for customer service: AI tools are actively used by agents to “automatically summarise details of chat interactions,” enhancing efficiency in customer support. Furthermore, a “new voice call centre solution” is leveraging AI to “enhanc[e] service and streamlin[e] operations.”
Looking ahead, NBN Co is preparing to launch an “AI-powered appointment assistant.” This forthcoming tool aims to guide “next-best actions for missed appointments and reduc[e] frictions for customers and RSPs alike,” according to Sweeney.
Financially, NBN Co’s commitment to automation extends across its business units. Regulatory filings indicate that the finance business unit alone will invest $11.4 million between FY27 and FY29 to implement automation technology, including low-code self-service, automation, and AI, to digitize and eliminate time-consuming tasks. This investment will also establish a finance-led “Automation COE” (Centre of Excellence) to coordinate, govern, and support innovation and automation across all internal finance functions, promising to “unlock material value through enabling faster, more informed, and commercially focused decision-making.” While specific spending beyond FY26 on AI and automation across the entire company is not yet clear, the finance unit’s allocation alone signifies a substantial ongoing commitment.
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This comprehensive integration of AI and automation positions NBN Co to significantly enhance its operational efficiency, improve service delivery to both internal teams and external partners, and ultimately provide a better experience for its vast customer base.
