Artificial Intelligence Star 'Iris', Developed by Sun Life, Wins CIO Honor
Sun Life Financial's GenAI-powered virtual agent, Iris, has once again been recognised for its significant impact on productivity and service desk efficiency. The virtual service desk assistant has won the 2025 CIO Awards Canada, marking the second consecutive year that Sun Life has received this prestigious honour[1][2][3].
Iris, an internally developed tool, uses Generative AI (GenAI) and Agentic AI technology to provide fast, conversational responses to routine IT inquiries such as password resets, software requests, and ticket status updates[1][2][3]. Since its launch, Iris has proven to be a valuable asset, reducing the average service desk resolution time by 83%[1][2][3].
Key recent developments and achievements include:
- Iris has resolved over 80% of employee queries in under two minutes since its launch[1][2][3].
- It has completed more than 9,000 password resets with an 82% success rate[2][3].
- Iris has handled approximately 10,000 employee queries altogether[1][2].
- The projected annual time savings exceed 24,000 hours for both employees and service desk agents combined, which boosts productivity and employee satisfaction significantly[1][2][3].
Sun Life views Iris not only as a major internal productivity enhancer but also as a foundation for broader AI-driven customer engagement innovations[3]. The company plans to adapt Iris-like AI technology for client-facing applications globally, enabling faster, more personalized service and expanding digital engagement within their contact centers[3].
Iris is integrated with Sun Life's systems and knowledge base, enabling it to handle common service desk requests. The self-service capability allows service desk agents to focus on complex issues and employees to return to their work more quickly.
Iris is part of Sun Life's broader digital transformation, which also includes the recently launched Advisor Notes Assistant. This tool is designed to streamline advisor workflows, saving 15-30 minutes of administrative effort per meeting, allowing more time for Client engagement.
Sun Life's innovation strategy is rooted in safety and security, ensuring that emerging technologies like GenAI are implemented responsibly. Laura Money, Executive Vice-President and Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer at Sun Life, stated that the CIO Awards Canada recognition is a testament to the power of responsible innovation[1]. She further emphasised that Iris is a proven innovation delivering strong efficiency gains internally and serves as a strategic blueprint for Sun Life’s next-generation AI-powered customer service and digital transformation initiatives[1][2][3].
[1] Sun Life (2025). Sun Life's Iris Wins 2025 CIO Awards Canada. [Online]. Available: https://www.sunlife.com/en/about-us/newsroom/sun-lifes-iris-wins-2025-cio-awards-canada
[2] Sun Life (2025). Iris: Sun Life's GenAI-Powered Virtual Agent. [Online]. Available: https://www.sunlife.com/en/about-us/newsroom/iris-sun-lifes-genai-powered-virtual-agent
[3] Sun Life (2025). Sun Life's Digital Transformation: Enhancing Client Engagement with AI. [Online]. Available: https://www.sunlife.com/en/about-us/newsroom/sun-lifes-digital-transformation-enhancing-client-engagement-with-ai
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