In 2024, it is impossible to imagine a world without automation! The new wave of AI enthusiasm has put automation at the forefront of successful businesses. With generative AI models now becoming the talk of the town, automation has become the norm. Whether in customer service interactions or data entry, document processing, or inventory management – automation has become indispensable to almost every business process today.
Over the years, automation technology has grown manifold. In this blog, we will walk through the journey of automation, right from the early days of robotic process automation (RPA) to the current era of intelligent and cognitive automation.
Automation in the BC Period
Since the beginning of mankind, humans have always looked for new ways to improve efficiency and reduce the toil of day-to-day tasks. With the assistance of simple pulleys, levers, and hand tools, humans could accomplish several tasks with far less manual effort.
Use case: Watermills were one of the first inventions that reduced physical labor. These mills had paddle wheels attached to shafts, enabling stones to grind grain into flour. While these mills were highly dependent on the volume and flow of water, they were a turning point and a driving force in the progression of automation over the years.
Advancements After the Industrial Revolution
The First Industrial Revolution was a major turning point in the evolution of automation. Labor-dependent manufacturing processes gave way to machine-led processes, which completely transformed production outcomes. Steam engines, for instance, powered most industrial machines, from mills and cranes to locomotives and mining equipment – automation gave manufacturers access to new methods of production while allowing certain tasks to run on their own.
Soon, electric motors became popular in the manufacturing setup. These motors offered far greater efficiency than steam-based machines and required comparatively less maintenance. With time, industrial robots became an integral part of the production floor. These automated and programmable robots played a huge role in enhancing efficiency.
Use case: Industrial robots offer high endurance, speed, and precision. They help organizations streamline material handling while also safeguarding the health and safety of the workforce. Since they can work nonstop with no breaks, they can carry out more tasks and make fewer mistakes than humans.
The Era of RPA
As industrial robots became a common sight in manufacturing companies, the concept of RPA also grew. Using software bots, RPA helped automate repetitive and rule-based tasks that were previously performed by humans. From data entry to extraction and processing, RPA helped businesses streamline routine tasks across various applications.
With time, this analytics-powered technology gave way to Al-driven workflow automation systems that manage and optimize business processes. By routing tasks to the right people or systems, AI-driven systems ensure smooth coordination among different tasks and stakeholders.
Use case: For HR departments, RPA can help streamline payroll processing. RPA systems can extract important information from employee timesheets, calculate pay, and perform necessary bank transactions. These systems can also factor in expenses, bonuses, and increments – eliminating the need for manually generating payslips.
The Rise of Hyperautomation and Cognitive Automation
The continued growth and development of Artificial Intelligence technology soon gave rise to hyperautomation and cognitive Intelligent automation. Combining Al and machine learning, these systems began to automate complex tasks that required human-like reasoning, understanding, and decision-making.
From natural language processing (NLP) to sentiment analysis, image recognition, and more, hyperautomation and cognitive automation use a variety of tools to improve business decision-making. The technologies empower organizations to automate every task or process possible, without human intervention.
Use case: For global supply chains, hyperautomation plays a huge role in optimizing inventory management. Through real-time visibility into inventory levels, fluctuating demand, and possible supply chain disruptions, organizations can automate inventory tracking and replenishment, thus reducing stockouts, overstocking, and excess inventory and ultimately achieving significant cost savings.
The Age of Intelligent Automation Today
As technology advances, automation has progressed from basic RPA to a world of intelligent automation. Intelligent automation enables the seamless integration of artificial intelligence, generative AI, machine learning, analytics, and robotic processes, heralding a transformative era across industries. This synergy between modern technologies empowers businesses to optimize efficiency and accuracy while reducing operational costs.
While the automation of routine tasks lies at the core of intelligent automation, the use of AI-driven systems paves the way for enhanced productivity. Using intelligent automation, employees can focus on higher-value, creative endeavors while minimizing errors and maintaining a high standard of quality. Through real-time data analysis, they can enable informed decision-making and accelerate business growth.
Use case: In the realm of customer service, intelligent automation enables machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language. Intelligent systems can conduct effective sentiment analysis, language translation, and text summarization – allowing service desk agents to handle complex and diverse customer service requests more easily and effectively.
The Road Ahead
Intelligent automation is poised to reshape workflows, foster innovation, and propel organizations toward a future of streamlined operations and heightened competitiveness. According to a survey by Gartner, 79% of corporate strategists believe technologies such as analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation will be critical to their success over the next two years.
As organizations across sectors look to achieve the impossible with automation, Wissen can be the perfect partner for effective implementation. From vendor invoice automation to customer support automation, we have successfully delivered several automation projects for organizations. Explore our intelligent automation offerings today and allow us to transform every aspect of your business!
