Artificial Intelligence at Work - with the support of automation
Executives, middle managers and employees - no one can escape the current debate about the possibilities of generative artificial intelligence. Does AI increase value creation? Will it prevent us from having to work overtime or will the algorithms take over our jobs straight away? The debate is highly emotional, as the technology can have such far-reaching consequences. In times of economic crises, a shortage of skilled workers and alarming figures on sick leave due to burnout, technology comes at just the right time.
According to a recent Bitkom study, almost three quarters of all companies surveyed see AI as an opportunity. AI can unleash enormous potential in the world of work - especially in conjunction with automation. Think of automation as the operating system for AI - it allows companies to harness the transformative power of AI. However, it is crucial to plan the implementation strategically and train employees in its use.
Center of Excellence
In order for companies to exploit the full potential of AI-supported process automation, it is important to first define the processes. Automation software can also take care of this. A Center of Excellence, a team of automation experts, then documents, standardizes, adapts and scales the newly implemented automation processes. The AI-supported automations can then be rolled out and continuously adapted and expanded. The software now takes care of screening invoices, contracts or applications and transferring relevant data to SAP. This speeds up business processes and frees up employees to focus on complicated cases, develop new ideas or carry out analyses.
For many companies, switching to new software, such as the upgrade to the new SAP S/4 Hana, is a major hurdle. The monetary cost is one thing. The fact that many resources are tied up and processes may be interrupted for longer is just as big a challenge for decision-makers. It seems paradoxical, but introducing an automation platform with the change is the most efficient way. Here too, intelligently deployed AI can significantly speed up processes.
Software robots
Software robots check the code, automatically recognize where adjustments have been made and check whether this custom code can be transferred to the new system with regard to compliance regulations. This prevents costly delays due to manual errors during transfer. Before the new SAP can be rolled out, it must be tested. Here, too, companies can use AI-supported automation for their purposes and have the system automatically test and validate the entire code on a large scale.
Artificial intelligence will not do all our work. In order to use it as profitably as possible, we should think strategically about how and where we use AI so that it relieves us of repetitive and therefore error-prone tasks on the one hand and evaluates large data sets for which the personnel costs would be far too high on the other. The prerequisites for the responsible use of AI are a flawless data basis that is unbiased and correct, as well as a transparent approach to the technology. We need to develop rules and guidelines for the ethical use of AI technologies. Companies will have to embrace these new technologies in order to compete for skilled workers and in their own industry. AI-supported automation is an important step in digitalization.
