Most AI solutions are slowly being commoditised and moving along from one side of the spectrum which contains complex AI-driven automation, further towards RPA, causing the intersection of these technologies being termed as intelligent automation.
Many AI solutions are moving on that scale to be increasingly simple to work with because many software companies are packaging the complex AI as simple and accessible solutions. And it's essentially becoming part of all of these previously simple platforms. What that means is that suddenly we can do not just robotics process automation, but also intelligent automation or hyperautomation within the same software.
So, when organisations start strengthening business processes with AI, they don't necessarily distinguish between automation and augmentation. And that explains why only 10% of the respondents in the Tech Horizon survey said process automation was a top area of tech investment in the next two years as while they are achieving hyperautomation, they are rather labelling it as AI or machine learning (ML) projects.
Q. Can you share some perspective on what the maturity level of automation is across industries in Ireland?
TM: In Ireland there has been a shift towards “Gen 2” of automation, which is the idea of using AI components in previously very rule-based robots. In Ireland, as it is globally, the financial services industry has become very mature on this journey.
Ireland’s public sector is probably one of the most advanced in Europe in the adoption of automation.
Overall, the level of maturity has been reasonable across all industries in Ireland compared to the rest of Europe. However, that has been in the area of simple RPA. We are not necessarily that far ahead into the intelligent automation space.
Q. Where are Irish organisations in their hyperautomation journey? How fast are they pivoting towards hyperautomation?
TM: Ireland is powering ahead and overtaking a lot of Europe in RPA. However, RPA is a solution to a very small problem. The need of the hour is to add AI-enabled intelligence to those automations. Europe has been one of the first movers on RPA, but often the first movers end up being the least advanced because we go in and invest in the initial technology. And the late adopters learn from the mistakes of the first movers and adopt the newest technologies. So, in that respect there has been a first mover disadvantage for Ireland.
Hyperautomation is a toolbox of many different technologies. To manage the abilities and the limitations that these technologies have, we need to identify the business problems first and then see what technologies can be applied to them instead of using the technology to merely mimic the human. Automating processes as designed for humans doesn't work for hyperautomation in most cases. There is, therefore, need for a change in mindset to pivot towards hyperautomation.
We need to move away from solutions that reap tactical benefits in only some pockets of the organisation and instead look at transformational benefits. And that is where the focus of the second generation of automation lies – on more strategic decision making.
Q. Can you walk us through some of the key challenges Irish organisations face to blend in hyperautomation into their larger digital strategy?
TM: One of the key challenges is that people are not aware that the technology is available right now, right here. Most people think it is still too immature, raising concerns around errors and imprecision. They see it as still being experimental rather than an enterprise-ready technology that can deliver a lot of value using the right implementation and governance framework.
The other challenge is often resistance from either IT teams or business users. Much of the hesitation in IT organisations often comes from a lack of understanding of the implication that hyperautomation would have on the overall IT infrastructure that they have worked with for years to make it work reliably. For business users on the other hand, the resistance is most often due to a fear of the impact that it will have on their day-to-day work regardless of whether the suggested results are automation or augmentation.
The fear of complexity is also a challenge. While building AI solutions people need to address issues of both operations and ethics, and the information around it can be overwhelming at times. While people could build smart AI solutions, they may find it hard to ensure that it is ethical and that it fits in operationally. It is because of these perceived complexities that they may be inclined to proceed with more traditional automation initiatives.
Q. What steps should Irish organisations take to accelerate hyperautomation?
TM: There are three main steps that organisations can take.
Summary
Fear of complexity is a challenge in acceleration of hyperautomation. To ease concerns of complexities, IT teams and business need to work as a cohesive unit to ramp up digital transformation initiatives and to put their digital-first foot forward.
