Two automation technologies together create a new entity – Intelligent Automation. These two technologies are Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what if these technologies are combined? What effects can one expect, and perhaps above all, why should we take an interest in it? Before we dive into how these technologies complement each other, it can be healthy to briefly try to account for what they actually mean separately as well.
When a new system is purchased, there is always a learning curve, both in practical terms and how to achieve the greatest effect. There is always a risk that it will end up as a new system that no one really understood or uses. Therefore, it is imperative to anchor the decisions of new tools in the overall strategy and define objectives. It can be about setting clear goals to develop, among other things, employees, activities, profitability and efficiency. A rule to start from is: Why should we do that? What are we going to do? How are we going to do that?
Then it is really the imagination that sets limits, and it is vital to allow yourself to be inspired by the new technology to continue developing, failing, and learning new things. In many cases, something that can be taken into factored in is what employees are grappling with. What do they find boring? Is there anything specific that makes them feel stressed every month? This can be a compelling way to get the rest of the organisation on the road and create tangible value.
A common misunderstanding is that RPA and AI are interchangeable. In fact, they complement each other so well that the combination has been named intelligent automation. RPA is about automating repetitive operations but does not consider whether that work process changes, for example. The robot is only as “smart” as it’s programmed to be. But if AI is added, a prerequisite is created for refining and accelerating automation. The tools adapt and refine the process or take into account that, for example, data is recorded in a different format.
To simplify and explain Intelligent Automation, it can be likened to a robot vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner is programmed to clean the entire home from manual operations (the dust balls). But it only does what it has been programmed to do. Over time, however, it can start analysing and identifying the cleaning and locating areas that are often messier than others. Maybe the kitchen is dirtier than the living room. Automatic decision support is created to optimise the process without manually programming the vacuum cleaner. In short, it’s learning.
One of the great benefits of implementing Intelligent Automation is the ability to structure previously unstructured data without a human having to cut and paste between different systems and spreadsheets. For example, a customer or vendor submits a document for inspection. Without Intelligent Automation, it would be a whirlwind of data that an employee needs to manually analyse and extract data from and then insert it into the desired systems. With Intelligent Automation, on the other hand, this work is done with the help of software robots completely automagically.