Sun Life Financial has been recognized as a 2025 CIO Awards Canada winner for the second year in a row, earning the honour for its internally developed GenAI-powered virtual agent, Iris. The awards celebrate Canadian organizations using IT innovation to deliver business value.
Iris leverages Generative AI and Agentic AI to boost employee productivity and streamline service desk operations. Integrated with Sun Life’s systems and knowledge base, the secure assistant can handle common requests — such as password resets, software access, and ticket status updates — through instant, conversational responses. This self-service capability frees up service desk agents to focus on complex issues while enabling employees to return to their work more quickly.
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Since its launch, Iris has reduced average service desk resolution time by 83%, resolving more than 80% of queries in under two minutes. The GenAI-powered assistant has completed over 9,000 password resets with an 82% success rate, handled approximately 10,000 employee queries, and delivered projected annual savings of 24,000 combined hours for employees and service desk agents.
“This recognition is a testament to the power of responsible innovation,” said Laura Money, Executive Vice-President, Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer at Sun Life. “Iris delivers real-time value for employees while creating a blueprint for applying GenAI to enhance productivity at scale across Sun Life globally and for our Clients.”
Sun Life plans to extend the lessons from Iris to its global contact centres, aiming to deliver faster, more personalized digital experiences for Clients. The AI system’s capabilities will continue to expand to handle increasingly complex employee needs.
Iris is part of Sun Life’s broader digital transformation, which also includes the recently launched Advisor Notes Assistant. This GenAI tool streamlines advisor workflows, saving 15–30 minutes of administrative effort per meeting and allowing more time for Client engagement.
Sun Life says its innovation strategy is rooted in safety and security, ensuring that emerging technologies like GenAI are implemented responsibly to enhance operational efficiency and deliver on its purpose of helping Clients achieve lifetime financial security and healthier lives.
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