Why specialised AI is crucial to digital transformation

We now live and work in a world where day-to-day processes are underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI). A recent McKinsey survey found that, during 2023, AI had rapidly risen from a topic relegated to IT employees to a focus of company leaders, with one-quarter of C-suite executives using generative AI tools for work and more than one-quarter saying AI was on their boards' agendas. Forty percent of respondents said their organisations would increase investment in AI because of advances in generative AI. 

While generative AI has proven useful in creating and augmenting general data and information, it has limitations in an enterprise context. This is because it cannot provide the level of accuracy, quality, and governance that specialised AI delivers.  

The critical need for specialised AI 

In contrast to generative AI, specialised AI is designed to perform specific tasks with precision and speed, which is important for organisations that are undertaking digital transformation. 

The capabilities of specialised AI enable it to conduct high-trust processes in industries such as human resources, finance, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing. This is because specialised AI delivers specified tasks with accuracy and efficiency, enables resource optimisation, can operate autonomously, and adapts to data variations in real-time. 

In particular, when it comes to digital transformation, specialised AI plays a crucial role in: 

• Ensuring efficiency because it excels at tasks such as data analysis and natural language processing. This helps organisations automate repetitive processes to achieve operational efficiencies 

• Delivering deeper insights to support decision-making through rapid and accurate analysis of large volumes of data, such as customer purchasing patterns or market trends 

• Achieving hyper-personalisation by applying data analysis to customer preferences and proactively recommending relevant products or content for the individual, which in turn enhances customer engagement 

• Reducing operational costs through automating time-consuming tasks and freeing humans up for strategic work that requires cognitive thinking. 

While specialised AI plays a pivotal role in digital transformation through better efficiencies, improved decision-making, hyper-personalisation, reduced operating costs and fostering innovation, a whole new world of productivity is unleashed when it meets generative AI and business automation. 

The power of the AI ecosystem 

At the intersection of specialised and generative AI and business automation lies a sweet spot of AI-powered automation where users realise the full potential of the AI ecosystem. With a simple interface, users can digitally transform paper-based processes into automated digital applications and run those applications with a single click.  

This approach can be used across all departments, from human resources and finance to marketing and operations, and at all levels of the organisation.  

Globally leading professional services company RSM Australia has realised the power of the AI ecosystem, achieving $4.2 million in savings from operational efficiency gains since adopting AI-powered automation. The company is currently on target to achieve $6 million in savings in 2024. 

In just one application, AI-powered automation enabled RSM Australia to run a large batch process continuously for 24 hours every day over two weeks, which could not have been done without automation.  

Beyond specialised AI 

Even though the world is still adapting to generative and specialised AI models, the next technology is already on the horizon.  As a leader in AI-powered automation, UiPath is focused on the evolution of AI and looking toward how interactive AI will impact end-to-end processes for organisations. 

Right now, organisations are using new AI tools to achieve efficiencies in individual processes but there is a capability far beyond this, which involves a system-wide view and use of AI to predict and make decisions for maximum optimisation. The next evolution is streamlining how humans can work more closely with AI to drive efficiencies and innovation, unlike anything we've seen before.  

UiPath and its customers will address the role of specialised AI in enabling organisations to achieve their digital transformation objectives at AI-powered Automation Summit events in Sydney on July 16, and Melbourne on July 18.