AI & automation · Article · 3 min read
Intelligent automation: what is it and how to start
Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- • Automation, machine learning and robotics are reshaping business out of all recognition.
- • A labour shortage and rising customer expectations make automation a necessity, not an option.
- • Start with the right process, not the technology.
We are heading into the perfect storm. The fourth industrial revolution is upon us. There is a general labour shortage. And to complicate matters even more, customer expectations keep evolving.
The only certainty about the fourth industrial revolution is that there will be casualties. Automation, IoT, machine learning, robotics and 3D manufacturing are changing the business landscape out of all recognition. This sink-or-swim disruption could mean that in ten years, 50% of the current Fortune 500 companies will cease to exist.
Intelligent automation, the combination of robotic process automation (RPA) with AI capabilities such as OCR and machine learning, is how financial institutions keep up. But the starting point is not the technology. It is choosing the right process, and getting that process ready to automate.
Go further
Intelligent Automation Quick-Start Guide
A 2-hour online course on where and how to start with automation, what it will cost and which vendors to consider, taught through real use cases.
Sheila ShaffieCo-founderBusiness transformation leader who honed her skills at three GE businesses: Plastics, Healthcare and Capital. GE Master Black Belt, University of Chicago MBA and co-author of The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course: Lean Six Sigma.