Experis Launches AI Suite With SoundHound on March 17
ManpowerGroup's (NYSE: MAN) technology services arm, Experis, officially entered the enterprise AI agent market on March 17, 2026, with the launch of its EXCELERATE AI portfolio. To power the new suite, Experis named SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN) as its exclusive conversational AI technology partner in the United States. The partnership will see Experis co-selling and implementing SoundHound's agentic AI platform, which is designed to automate complex tasks and user queries through voice or text.
The collaboration will initially focus on the U.S. healthcare sector, a complex industry where the partners aim to modernize service delivery for patient access, contact centers, and IT support desks. This strategy combines SoundHound’s advanced AI technology with Experis’s established expertise in large-scale digital transformation and talent solutions, aiming to accelerate adoption and deliver measurable efficiencies for enterprise clients.
Enterprises are eager to move beyond experimentation and deploy AI solutions that deliver measurable impact. By partnering with Experis, we’re combining their deep consulting and implementation expertise with our leading-edge technology to help organizations deploy enterprise-grade agentic AI to drive real operational value.
— Keyvan Mohajer, Co-Founder and CEO of SoundHound AI.
Launch Follows Rival EXL's AI Push on March 11
The Experis announcement comes amid a flurry of activity in the AI services space, highlighting a clear industry trend toward operationalizing AI. Just six days earlier, on March 11, 2026, competitor EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) launched its own series of agentic AI solutions. EXL's initiative included its EXL Agent Studio, a no-code agent-building platform, and an EXL Governance Hub, demonstrating the growing demand for comprehensive, enterprise-ready AI tools that include built-in guardrails and governance.
The back-to-back announcements from Experis and EXL underscore the competitive urgency for service providers to offer solutions that move clients beyond pilot programs to scalable AI deployments. While high-profile R&D efforts like XAI's 'Macrohard' project have reportedly stalled, these new partnerships focus on practical implementation and tangible business outcomes, addressing the core challenge of turning AI investment into operational value.
Deal Creates Key Enterprise Channel for SoundHound AI
This strategic alliance provides SoundHound AI with a crucial enterprise sales and implementation channel, potentially accelerating its expansion into new vertical markets. By leveraging Experis's extensive client base and delivery capabilities, SoundHound can more effectively scale its agentic AI and Autonomics platforms to large organizations. For Experis, the partnership strengthens its portfolio with a leading AI technology, enhancing its competitive position in the high-demand market for AI transformation services.
AI transformation is just as much about people, skills, and operating models as it is about platforms, and that's where Experis is uniquely positioned to help. When organizations get that combination right, they move faster, innovate more effectively, and there's more room for their people to grow alongside the business.
— Kye Mitchell, President of Experis U.S.
Edgen Stock·Mar 17 2026, 13:54
