Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of attending "How to use AI and RPA to Increase Workplace Productivity" hosted by Betaworks. It was a great discussion on the potential of robotic process automation that opened my eyes into the future. To kick off the event, we first heard from Dennis Mortensen, CEO of x.ai. They're responsible for creating Amy and Andrew Ingram, autonomous AI assistants who schedule meetings for you. Simply cc Amy or Andrew in any of your emails and they'll handle the rest. Head over to their website for a free trial. Also, Peter Saber of EY (Ernest & Young) spoke upon the positive outlook of AI and RPA. EY provides tax services to companies all over the world. Fun Fact: EY is currently using over 800 bots to help them with their processes.
Artificial Intelligence is making a big splash in every industry and it was only a matter of time before it made its way into the workplace. One of the main problems RPA looks to solve is removing mundane tasks and reducing human error. From an employer's perspective, shifting your team's effort to more high level tasks and removing the repetitive tasks will bring back a huge ROI. Time saved equals money gained.
While there are some key positives to having RPA in place, because the concept is in its earliest form, there are some concerns. The biggest concern of them all would be security. Let's say for instance your ordering something from one of your favorite store and they happen to use RPA to handle their orders. You give your credit card and billing information to the bot assisting you, complete the order, and your package hasn't arrived in weeks. Companies using bots will have to beef up their cyber security immensely to ensure that they're bots and consumers information can't be compromised. Another issue on the horizon will be job security. For those whose core responsibilities can be replaced by a bot, I can understand why the idea of automating processes can be a threat.
I believe in the title of the event: "AI and RPA to Increase Workplace Productivity". In this digital era, both employer and job seeker must adapt to the new norms. The world of work is changing right before our eyes and time is becoming more valuable than money. As an employee, you'll have the opportunity to focus on the high level tasks that contribute to your career growth, rather than being responsible for tasks you have no interest in. I'm excited to see what new technologies are in the pipeline. Do you think AI and RPA is a threat?