Intelligent Automation: What exactly is the term? And how to implement it?

Intelligent automation (IA), also known as cognitive automation, involves employing a combination of automation technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), business process management (BPM), and robotic process automation (RPA) to enhance and expand decision-making capabilities throughout organizations.

What are the 3 components of Intelligent Automation?

Intelligent automation encompasses three key cognitive technologies that, when integrated, drive significant business and technological advancements.

At the core of intelligent automation lies artificial intelligence (AI) , leveraging machine learning and intricate algorithms to analyze both structured and unstructured data. This AI-driven decision engine enables businesses to build comprehensive knowledge bases and make informed predictions based on data insights.

Business process management (BPM), another vital component, facilitates the automation of workflows, enhancing agility and consistency within business processes. Widely adopted across various industries, BPM optimizes processes, leading to improved interactions and heightened engagement.

Completing the trio is robotic process automation (RPA), employing software bots to execute back-office tasks like data extraction and form completion. These bots seamlessly integrate with AI, leveraging its insights to tackle increasingly complex tasks and scenarios.

What are the benefits of Intelligent Automation?

Intelligent automation technology provides numerous benefits in different industries, leveraging extensive data analysis, precise calculations, and seamless business implementation:

1. Cost reduction: By automating processes and utilizing data analysis for accuracy, production can be accelerated without compromising quality or increasing workforce strain.

1. Enhanced accuracy: Utilizing AI ensures consistent decision-making and approach to repetitive tasks, thereby boosting quality and minimizing errors.
2. Improved CX: Accelerated time-to-market for higher quality products, faster query responses, and overall reliability contribute to a more positive CX, granting a competitive edge.

1. Regulatory compliance: Intelligent automation aids in adhering to specific regulatory policies by ensuring a consistent approach to compliance through task automation features.

Where to implement Intelligent Automation?

Intelligent automation revolutionizes industries by streamlining processes that were once manual or reliant on outdated systems. These were prone to errors and resource-intensive. Its applications span various sectors, offering efficiencies across different business functions.

1. Automotive sector: Intelligent automation enables manufacturers to predict and adjust production in response to supply and demand fluctuations. Streamlining workflows and integrating chatbots & robots, reduces manual labor, enhances defect detection, and delivers higher-quality products at reduced costs. For instance, Volkswagen utilizes "collaborative robots" in engine assembly, mitigating risks, accelerating processes, and alleviating physical strain on workers.
2. Life sciences: Intelligent automation plays a crucial role in drug production, ensuring precise calibration, data analysis, and quality control. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines exemplifies how automation expedites processes, enhances quality, and minimizes human error, significantly shortening drug discovery timelines.
3. Healthcare: Leveraging intelligent automation, particularly through natural language processing (NLP), to standardize data collection, analysis, and patient care. Healthcare chatbots in remote healthcare appointments reduce human intervention, leading to quicker diagnoses and improved patient outcomes.
4. Insurance: Intelligent automation streamlines tasks like rate calculations, claims processing, and compliance management. By automating manual processes, insurers enhance efficiency, accuracy, and regulatory adherence, ultimately optimizing risk assessment and insurance rate determination.

In conclusion…

Intelligent automation's significance across industries is undeniable in today's world. By automating repetitive tasks through IA, businesses not only cut costs but also ensure greater consistency in their operations. As automation reshapes the workplace, middle managers must pivot towards nurturing the human aspect of their roles to sustain workforce motivation. The advent of automation will highlight skill gaps within teams, necessitating ongoing adaptation to evolving work dynamics. Middle management plays a crucial role in facilitating these transitions while alleviating employee anxiety and fostering resilience amidst change. Undoubtedly, intelligent automation represents the future of work, and companies that neglect its adoption risk losing competitiveness in their markets.