KPMG named OpenAI Elite Partner in strategic alliance

KPMG has formed a strategic alliance with OpenAI and has been named an OpenAI Elite Partner.

The agreement focuses on using OpenAI's technology in KPMG's work with public- and private-sector organisations, including internal systems, government software, and cybersecurity tools.

KPMG said the alliance is intended to change how employees and customers interact with enterprise software by embedding AI tools into day-to-day business processes rather than treating them as stand-alone applications. The firm described this as a shift towards AI becoming the main point of interaction while existing enterprise software remains the underlying system of record.

As part of the arrangement, KPMG is developing its own internal platform for supply chain and fulfilment operations. The project is designed to bring together supply chain, fulfilment and finance functions through automated workflows and AI agents.

Chad Seiler, U.S. Industry Leader for Technology, Media and Telecommunications at KPMG, outlined the firm's view of how software is changing.

"SaaS is evolving; it's becoming agentic. We're designing AI-enabled systems that will act as the front door for customers and employees to engage. This approach requires collaboration across the technology ecosystem, and OpenAI is a critical partner to KPMG as we help clients move from software-led transformation to intelligent systems that work across the enterprise technology stack," Seiler said.

Enterprise model

The consulting and audit firm said it is working within OpenAI's environment in what it called a client-zero deployment, using its own implementation work to help shape a model for AI-first enterprise operations. The aim is to move away from software environments in which workers switch between applications towards systems where AI handles more of the interaction layer.

KPMG said it will use a forward-deployed engineer model for delivery, placing senior engineers alongside OpenAI teams to turn business requirements into production systems. Those engineers will go through OpenAI certification as part of the process.

OpenAI said demand from companies has moved beyond experimental projects and early-stage tests. The partnership is intended to support wider use of AI models inside existing enterprise systems.

"Organisations are looking beyond pilots and proofs of concept to fundamentally reshape how work gets done," said Colleen Kapase, Vice President of Strategic Global Partnerships and Ecosystems at OpenAI. "As an OpenAI Elite Partner, KPMG brings deep transformation, industry and implementation experience that can help organizations deploy OpenAI's technology in new and impactful ways. Together, we're applying OpenAI's models directly within enterprise systems and public-sector platforms so organizations can use AI where work actually happens."

Public sector

A significant part of the alliance focuses on government technology in the United States. KPMG said it will modernise KRIS Connected, its suite of software tools for public-sector agencies, using OpenAI technology.

The work is aimed at helping state and local government agencies move away from fragmented legacy systems and towards connected tools for case management, service delivery and decision support. KPMG said the next version of the software is intended to improve the experience for citizens, caseworkers and programme administrators.

The public-sector push reflects a wider trend in the consulting market, with firms seeking to combine generative AI with established software products rather than sell AI purely as a separate advisory service. Government work has been a particular focus because agencies often rely on older systems that can be difficult for staff and the public to navigate.

KPMG said the updated tools would allow agencies to modernise incrementally rather than through wholesale system replacement. That approach is meant to lower implementation risk while changing how front-line users interact with underlying data and applications.

Cyber focus

The alliance also extends to cyber security. KPMG said the work builds on its role in OpenAI's Daybreak Cyber Partner Program and will involve integrating OpenAI models into cyber defence and threat intelligence tools.

The companies said this part of the partnership is intended to support threat detection and security operations. KPMG added that it sees this as part of a broader move from conventional services towards software-led cyber platforms that automate more routine security work.

That emphasis comes as professional services groups and technology suppliers compete to define how AI is deployed in regulated and security-sensitive environments. For firms such as KPMG, alliances with model developers offer a way to link advisory work, implementation services and sector-specific software under a single commercial relationship.

KPMG is the U.S. member firm of the wider KPMG network, which operates in 138 countries and territories and employs more than 276,000 people across member firms worldwide.