Welcome to the future of automation, where artificial intelligence (AI) takes centre stage in redefining how we work and live.
This year, AI-powered automation tools will be more affordable and accessible, integrated into everyday apps. This will lead to increased adoption by consumers and businesses everywhere.
These trends are not just about streamlining processes; they’re about ushering in a new automation-led era of efficiency and new possibilities, where machines and algorithms work in harmony with human ingenuity to provide enhanced personalised experiences. Here are five of the biggest trends in AI-enabled automation we can expect to see this year:
1. Greater collaboration between humans and AI
Despite the latest development in artificial intelligence aiming for broader reasoning, creativity and decisioning making abilities, they are still far from replicating human excellence. AI is not meant to replace humans, but rather enhance our capabilities. In the coming months, we can expect to see more humans and AI working together to create new products, services and experiences. Taking this further, AI will play an integral role in professional and personal growth for humans, which will involve providing customised insights.
During this era of stark attrition and heightened skills scarcity[i], taking care of people is undeniably important. With the assistance of automation, this support can consist of tailored messaging and coaching suggestions, empowering individuals to strive for their full potential.
As a result, employees will actively participate and engage in ways that meet their unique needs, leading to improved retention and performance for the entire business. Through this collaboration, the existing workplace will be reimagined to place AI as an insightful ally, helping each employee not just survive but thrive.
To make this a reality, businesses may need to consider restructuring or offering new training and measures that reinforce understanding on the parameters and benefits of an AI-human partnership.
On a broader scale, the rise of ‘AI assistants’ may lead to the need for more accessibility in the form devices that put “AI in your pocket”, either as part of existing mobile device upgrade or a new kind of device!
2. AI-powered decision making
The landscape of AI-powered decision-making will expand drastically. Beyond crunching numbers and filling out spreadsheets, AI will become a trusted advisor in our strategic and day-to-day decisions.
In doing so, this will influence employee welfare too[ii]. From recruitment and onboarding to employee support, AI will be on hand to ensure we have a flourishing workforce. Emerging tools now offer insights on employee wellbeing, burnout risks, even forecasting attrition and absence likelihoods, which trigger appropriate interventions to support supervisors and managers across hybrid work environments.
Within a contact centre, using advanced insights into burnout patterns helps supervisors allocate time and resources more effectively. This means they can focus on helping agents who need it most, resulting in higher productivity for everyone. In the year ahead, more businesses will need to lean into using these advanced insights to get ahead of the potentially devasting attrition curve.
Along this journey, AI’s role won’t be just about making choices, it’s about deepening understanding and unveiling opportunities for growth. Unlocking this will require two key considerations from leaders.
Firstly, consider ethical AI deployment and integration into your organisation. Some suggest appointing ‘Chief AI Officers’ for control, while others advocate for safety, compliance, and privacy tools.
Secondly, think about how you can achieve the balance between human welfare and technological advancements especially as these move into mission-critical areas of the business.
The answer lies in putting people at the forefront of decision-making and questioning whether the technology will actually help them. And finally work with transparent partners who provide evidence of actual return on investment which will be realised.
3. AI-powered customer service
While AI has been steadily assisting in customer service tasks for years, very soon the latest AI-powered chatbots will surpass their predecessors. Within customer service, this magnified capability will free up human agents to focus on more intricate interactions.
From customers and agents to managers and business leaders, this advancement will benefit everyone. Agents will receive real-time assistance from AI “digital assistants” drawing on vast data and knowledge sources. The emergence of Hybrid AIiv will see AI models act as the brain that interprets what the user wants. They are trained on highly proprietary data, maintaining levels control, and providing easily understandable and actionable suggestions. On the other hand, customers will enjoy more personalised experience through AI tailored strategies.
In these moments, responsible AI deployment will be essential. As we’ve seen with the emergence of the EU AI Act[iii], discussion surrounding accountable AI innovation will be rife this year. And these conversations can lead to collaborative efforts among businesses, government bodies and independent entities to set industry standards, ensuring consumers protection as AI becomes more pervasive in daily products and services.
4. Greater use of AI to automate complex tasks
The sophistication of AI has grown at an exponential rate, meaning it can now automate increasingly complex tasks. For example, AI adoption streamlines processes in customer service, using multimodal capabilities that combine various data types (image, text, speech, numerical data) with intelligent processing algorithms for broader application. It’s taking charge of tasks like claims processing, overseeing application workflows and even identifying and crafting responses to customer complaints.
In the next stage of this evolution, we can expect to see AI being used to automate further complex tasks, such as predictive customer support and real-time multilingual assistance, as well as fraud detection and prevention. Yet, reaching this point won’t be completely smooth sailing.
Businesses will need to balance adopting AI for a competitive edge with handling its unexpected risks, such as the generation of inaccurate information. However, correct integration, well-trained systems and regular reviews of the processes can help minimise risks.
5. The rise of AI-powered automation as a service (AaaS)
With ongoing scrutiny of already dwindling budgets, automation as a service (AaaS) is set to continue making it easier for businesses to adopt AI-powered automation in multiple ways.
AaaS is a subscription-based model that allows businesses to access AI-powered automation tools without having to heavily invest in their infrastructure. This model offers advantages like expert guidance to avoid implementation pitfalls, reduced spending and industry specific adaptations.
For example, a business may use AaaS to streamline the roll out of updated company messaging. This means as new information arises, AI-powered automation can assess an employee’s workload and alert them to review the new company materials during quieter periods.
Over the next 12 months, AI-enabled automation will continue changing our lives. Whether it’s developing a partnership based on human ingenuity and technology or elevating abilities and experiences, AI-powered automation will boost productivity, efficiency and available opportunities throughout the business environment.
With 49 per cent of business leaders expecting AI to impact their bottom line in 2024, and an additional 36 per cent set to agree by 2029[iv], here’s to an AI-enabled 2024!
[i] Oxford Learning College: https://www.oxfordcollege.ac/news/skills-gap-statistics-uk/#:~:text=Digital%20and%20technology%20skills%20gap%20statistics&text=Data%20shows%20that%20over%20a,pay%2C%20promotions%20and%20career%20progression.
[ii] McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/using-digital-tech-to-support-employees-mental-health-and-resilience
[iii] EU Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20230601STO93804/eu-ai-act-first-regulation-on-artificial-intelligence
iv Goldman Sachs : https://www.goldmansachs.com/intelligence/pages/a-new-generation-of-ai-tools-and-models-is-emerging.html
[iv] Channel-Impacting AI Predictions for 2024 : https://realize.icertis.com/the-future-of-generative-ai/
