From automating customer support to accurately predicting production issues, AI and process automation offer companies a variety of solutions to the challenges of today’s business world.

In this article, you will learn:

• How AI and process automation work together
• The benefits of using AI for business
• The challenges of implementing AI
• How Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Power Apps support business process automation
• How companies can take data protection and ethical aspects into account when using AI

Why use artificial intelligence (AI) in companies and organizations?

he use of artificial intelligence (AI) offers a promising option for further improving the possibilities of process automation in terms of implementation and efficiency. By using intelligent systems, skills shortages can be further reduced and work processes can be handled more efficiently. There are various use cases of AI-driven process automation that show how companies can optimize their operations through creative use of technology. For example, the PwC study“Fachkräftemangel. Stationärer und ambulanter Bereich bis zum Jahr 2030” (in German only) highlights the potential for improvement in administrative tasks. These administrative activities are not the kind of work that practically minded and thinking professionals enjoy doing. Doctors spend a significant portion of their working hours on administrative tasks such as documenting patient data, creating reports and answering queries. This can lead to a lack of time for actual patient care.

Therefore, the PWC study emphasizes the need to implement efficient solutions for administration in order to enable professionals to focus more on their practical tasks, thus improving healthcare overall.

Artificial intelligence and the next step: generative artificial intelligence

A clear distinction should be made between artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). While AI really refers to the general ability of computers to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence, generative artificial intelligence creates something new. It independently generates data or content that relates to learned patterns and information. The current models are the LLMs (Large Language Models) such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 language model, which Microsoft also uses for Copilot, or Google’s Gemini and Meta’s Llama 2.

Advantages for companies of using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI):

• Increased efficiency: processes are executed faster and with fewer errors.
• Time savings: Employees can focus on more important tasks.
• Customer satisfaction: Improved service through faster and more accurate processing of requests.
• New possibilities: Integration of intelligent systems into existing structures.

TIP: An AI-driven sentiment analysis can be used to analyze the sentiment of customer feedback and identify potential for improvement.

Challenges:

• Data protection: Ensure the confidentiality of customer data.
• Ethics: Avoid discrimination and disadvantage caused by AI systems.
• Implementation: Adapt processes and systems to the requirements of AI.

Use case: Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Power Apps

How AI and process automation work together: One of the biggest challenges for companies is efficient decision-making. Often, decisions depend on a variety of factors and it can be difficult to collect and evaluate all the relevant information. With artificial intelligence, these time-consuming processes can be significantly reduced. Recently, Microsoft Copilot has been introduced as a tool for companies to use. Integrated into Microsoft 365, Copilot can help with app creation using Microsoft Power Apps. The app functions are described using voice input. The application is created in a few conversational sequences. Copilot also performs a user test and debugging. This is how AI and process automation can work together and be integrated into business processes.

Integration of intelligent systems into existing company structures

Conclusion: Integrating intelligent systems into existing company structures can be challenging. It requires careful planning and analysis to effectively integrate the new technologies into the workflow. One option is to introduce the AI-controlled processes step by step, relying on close collaboration between the development team and the responsible department or even management. This allows potential risks to be identified early and measures to minimize the consequences to be taken. It is also important that employees are involved in the use of the new technologies. Training can help to reduce reservations and promote understanding of the advantages of automation. By carefully integrating intelligent systems, a company can increase its efficiency and thus operate more competitively in the market. Of course, you can also define further benchmarks and KPIs that should be met with the implementation.

Data protection and ethical aspects of AI-driven business processes

One final important aspect of implementing AI-driven process automation is data protection and considering ethical aspects. This is because the automation of business processes also automatically generates and processes data. It is therefore important to ensure that this data is protected appropriately and does not fall into the wrong hands. Ethical questions also arise here: How fair are decisions made on the basis of algorithms? Can discrimination be ruled out? The training data of ChatGPT is not specifically tested for freedom from discrimination, and the training data may also contain prejudices and errors.

Companies should be aware of this responsibility and take appropriate measures to ensure the protection of personal data and compliance with ethical standards. Only in this way can they realize the full potential of creativity.