The personnel contributions from software robots will increase by 50% in the coming 2 years

A new report from IDC predicts a future with a fundamental shift, because work becomes highly dependent on cooperation between man and machine.

64% of employees trust robots more than their managers
The outlook for employees on AI is changing. This is why they have more faith in the technology.

More about artificial intelligence

No, the robots don’t come for work because they’re ready to take over the world . not yet. But the future of the world’s workforce will mean a major shift and the work will be heavily dependent on teamwork of man and machine, the recently released IDC white paper, Content Intelligence, noted for the future of work.

And we’re not quite in the sci-fi film area either, said Holly Muscolino, vice president of content and process strategy research and the future of work at IDC. “A software robot (or” digital worker “) is essentially a software program that automates a task previously performed by a human worker,” Muscolino explained. “The term ‘robot’ is used to indicate the role that these software solutions play in automation, but otherwise there is no relationship between a software robot and the physical robots that we can see on the production line, patrolling supermarket aisles with ‘Star Wars “films in the lead.”

SEE: Special report: management of AI and ML in the company (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Software technology classified as digital employees

Muscolino added: “A variety of software technologies are classified as” digital employees. ” The technology that gets the most broadcasting time today is robotic process automation (RPA), but other automation technologies and AI-compatible technologies, such as digital assistants and chatbots, are also classified as ‘digital employees’. “

Another focused theory, perhaps apocryphal, often predicts robot workers as a threat, with the cry: “they take our jobs!” In reality, Mucolino said: “Although there may be some vulnerable populations,
the reality is that in most cases these software solutions automate a task or sub-task, not an entire process or an entire task
. In many situations, these solutions increase the capabilities of human employees, allowing them to focus on tasks with higher value and innovation, generating additional values ​​for the organization. This also improves the experience and involvement of employees by eliminating routine, repetitive tasks. ”

More than everyday jobs for robo colleagues

Our future digital colleagues are not only relegated to everyday data entry or other repetitive tasks. The growth of machine learning (ML) through human-centered artificial intelligence (AI) means that robot assistants help employees make better decisions. In most cases, these technologies improve human capabilities instead of replacing them. For example, the study found that technology evaluation of information will grow by 28% within two years and 20% of reasoning and decision-making activities will be performed by machines. In the same two years, 18% of the administration will be handled by software robots.

Robots cost and raise a lot of money

The market for intelligent process automation (IPA)
includes content intelligence and robot process automation (RPA) and the IDC report predicts that it will grow from $ 13.1 billion in 2019 to $ 20.7 billion in 2023.

Since many of the repetitive processes and tasks that are well suited to RPA automation are document and content-oriented, content intelligence technologies often go hand in hand with RPA in intelligent process automation applications. Automation initiatives are also made possible by process intelligence, a new generation of process mining tools that provide full insight into business processes – the critical foresight needed to improve the success of an IPA project.

Robots will become easier

In some cases, the inclusion of digital employees will not be very intrusive, “the training revolves around changing the process and learning new policies and procedures,” Muscolino said. “However, completely new jobs are created to develop, train and maintain these software solutions. Employees are also free to learn new skills and take on new tasks, which also involves retraining.”

Robots increase customer satisfaction

More than 40% of respondents experienced a remarkable increase in customer satisfaction and employee productivity by implementing content intelligence technologies in their digital transformation strategy. In addition, more than a third of respondents saw an increase in responsiveness to customers, new product or sales opportunities, increased visibility and / or accountability or increased customer involvement.

Other robots takeovers

The shift to cooperation between man and machine offers new challenges:

• 75% of respondents said their organization found it difficult to recruit digital skills
• More than 20% mentioned insufficient skills and / or training of employees
• The top three business initiatives that are made possible by content intelligence are employee engagement, customer engagement and digital transformation
• The top three applications that use the data generated by content intelligence are customer relationship management, business intelligence and risk management
• The average expected increase in spending on content intelligence technologies for the following year is 31%

Robots for everyone

There is also no industry focused on this addition of 50% robot software to staff. “These technologies are relevant to all industries,” Muscolino said. “We see financial service providers and financial departments as the first users of some automation technologies.” And while the core of the report indicates the status of the future workforce in two years, “these solutions are available today for some use cases.”

Robots can come with warnings

But, like all things in life, your digital employee comes up with some reservations, Muscolino warned: “These technologies require new skills to implement / maintain. In many situations, important change management initiatives are required. Organizations must analyze existing workflows to understand where automation resources should be deployed. Many organizations set up cross-functional automation centers to bring together all relevant stakeholders and identify and guide best practices. “

Robots ‘enlarge’ human employees

The study, sponsored by digital technology company ABBYY, consisted of a survey of 500 senior “decision makers” in large companies in North America, the UK, Germany, France and Australia.

“The IDC survey proves that automation can and should be people-centered, supplemented with artificial intelligence,” said Bruce Orcutt, senior vice president of product marketing at ABBYY in a release. “Ethical, responsible automation will create a more productive, happier future in which human employees can focus on higher, creative and socially responsible tasks and customers can gain better experiences with faster service. Companies that are early adopters of integrating content information into their automation platforms will gain a significant competitive advantage. ”

View for more information AI is the key to business success, but a lack of skilled staff remains a barrier to TechRepublic.

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