Pexa unveils secure GenAI platform with Thoughtworks, AWS

PEXA Group has introduced a new permission-aware AI platform, aimed at enhancing secure data usage, empowering employees, and driving productivity improvements.

The Generative AI (GenAI) Assistant created by PEXA is noted for its security-first approach. It is designed to understand each employee's access to enterprise data in real time. This stands in contrast to existing models which often utilise outdated architectures and lack fine-grained access control. PEXA's solution prioritises robust data security at both the model and data levels, retrieving live information from within the organisation. The platform operates using a permissioned Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) model, which controls and secures data passed to the AI in small segments.

The development of the GenAI Assistant was a collaborative effort involving Thoughtworks Australia, Redactive AI, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Leveraging live data access to company data through Redactive's permissions aware retrieval engine and employing Anthropic's Claude 3 Sonnet on Amazon Bedrock, the platform ensures that every employee chat interaction is secure and contextually relevant.

Eglantine Etiemble, Chief Technology Officer at PEXA Group, emphasised that the GenAI Assistant isn't just a technological advancement but aligns with PEXA's core value of 'Innovate for Good.' "By securely enabling our employees with the right permissions to access and leverage data, we're not only driving productivity and innovation but also ensuring that our employees are equipped with leading competencies," said Ms Etiemble. She also highlighted the importance of keeping people at the forefront of innovation, stating, "Our approach ensures that while we integrate cutting-edge technology, we are also fostering a culture where our employees can thrive, engage with new tools confidently, and contribute meaningfully to our mission of Connecting People to Place."

Andy Nolan, Director of Emerging Technologies at Thoughtworks Australia, added, "PEXA's commitment to a secure, ethical AI platform has been realised through a strong collaboration and advanced engineering. Thoughtworks delivered the foundational GenAI infrastructure that integrates seamlessly with PEXA's operations, ensuring the highest standards of data security. Our expertise in enterprise-grade AI solutions has enabled PEXA to deploy this technology confidently."

Jamie Simon, Director of Financial Services at Amazon Web Services, Australia and New Zealand, noted the importance of security, stating, "With security a fundamental requirement, Amazon Bedrock also safeguards PEXA's strategic and operational data with the right controls, reinforced by AWS's strong record in building and running resilient, highly available applications. This is essential for PEXA, as well as for many other organisations of all sizes and industries, especially for regulated sectors including financial services."

Andrew Pankevicius, Co-Founder of Australian scale-up Redactive AI, remarked on the collaborative effort, "From the outset, PEXA and Thoughtworks recognised the importance of embedding strong security into the AI platform. Redactive enabled PEXA to responsibly scale Generative AI across its workforce while maintaining high data security standards. By enabling permissioned RAG for this platform, we are proud to have supported PEXA in moving quickly and safely with GenAI."

PEXA's AI Assistant is seen as a significant step forward in the company's journey toward an AI-powered future, reflecting its ongoing commitment to innovate responsibly and effectively across the business landscape.