IBM announced a strategic partnership with OpenAI on August 13, 2026, aimed at helping large organizations deploy artificial intelligence across core business functions including finance, procurement, customer operations, and human resources. The agreement centers on embedding OpenAI frontier models, including GPT-5.6, along with tools such as Codex and ChatGPT Work, into IBM Consulting Advantage, the company's existing AI delivery platform for client engagements.
Under the arrangement, IBM will build specialized forward-deployed teams trained through the OpenAI Partner Network and will launch a dedicated OpenAI Practice, certifying thousands of consultants and engineers to help clients convert older, fragmented workflows into AI-ready operations. The companies said the effort will also extend to application modernization, using OpenAI Codex alongside IBM's industry expertise to help organizations rebuild legacy software faster.
A third focus area is cybersecurity and AI risk management, building on a prior collaboration through the OpenAI Daybreak Cyber Partner Program. IBM plans to pair OpenAI's models with its Autonomous Security service to help enterprise clients manage both traditional cyber threats and new risks tied to AI adoption, such as governance gaps and application-layer vulnerabilities.
Andy Baldwin, IBM Consulting's global senior vice president, said the main barrier enterprises face is not access to AI tools but integrating them securely at scale inside complex operating environments. As part of the deal, IBM will join OpenAI's Elite partner tier, a designation reflecting deeper joint go-to-market work between the two companies. The partnership arrives as enterprise AI spending keeps climbing while measurable return on investment remains difficult for many companies to demonstrate, a gap both companies say the new collaboration is designed to close.
Source: IBM Newsroom - https://newsroom.ibm.com/2026-08-13-ibm-partners-with-openai-to-accelerate-secure-ai-deployment-for-enterprises-across-core-operations