How AI process automation revolutionizes operations management

The 1990s sold us the idea of "business processes reengineering." But it fell short of its promise to make organizations significantly more efficient, effective, and competitive.

So, automated business process management had to wait for technology to catch up...

...Now, in 2024, AI has ushered in a new era of digital innovation.

Through advancements in computer science, deep learning, and big data analysis, artificial intelligence is starting to make flexible business automation a reliable solution.

Smart, automated business processes enhance human capabilities and are becoming a reality for many organizations. In this blog post, we'll show you how others benefit from automation powered by artificial intelligence and, hopefully, inspire you to do the same.

What is business process automation?

Business process automation (BPA), closely integrated with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, uses technology to save time, improve efficiency, and execute repetitive tasks within businesses. This automatic business process management replaces human intervention with efficiency-boosting solutions.

Tasks that used to require human intelligence and input are now performed automatically and without the previous human errors, leading to:

• Improved accuracy, fewer errors, and consistency
• Streamlined operation and reduced costs
• Increased employee focus on strategic work

Robotic process automation (RPA) and workflow automation tools can now use software robots for rule-based tasks. That means advanced AI technologies like machine learning and big data analysis are key players in this transformation. 

Check out some software solutions in this space to see BPA in action. Low-code automation software options include Kissflow and Appian, but more powerful options like open-source Bonitasoft are also great if you need a flexible solution that's easy to integrate.

How does AI help automate business processes?

Artificial intelligence is making automatic business processes smarter and more flexible. Previously, business process management automation was great at simple, repetitive, time-consuming tasks but not so good at anything that needed learning or adapting. It followed strict rules and couldn't handle changes or new challenges on its own.

These days, AI can learn from both structured and unstructured data. Process mining further improves over time and effectively processes decision-making and language-understanding decisions. Here's the thing, though: artificial intelligence in business automation is still pretty new technology. 

Software companies are working on incorporating AI, but it's early days. Developing these features takes a long time, and while we're starting to see some exciting updates, there's a lot more to come. 

So, as artificial intelligence grows, we can expect huge changes and future improvements in business process automation.

AI for operations management (OM)

AI in operations management enhances enterprise resource planning systems by evaluating extensive process data and running predictive analytics. This helps reduce costs and enables businesses to make better-informed decisions that respond to both customer's and internal needs.

Popular BPA software with built-in AI operations management includes SAP IBP (integrated business planning for the supply chain), Oracle NetSuite (for inventory and financial management automation), and IBM Maximo (for predictive maintenance).

OM assures a smooth production process, and AI in operations can improve processes from organizing the supply chain to ensuring the top quality of products. It analyzes data to spot where things could be more efficient, saving time and resources.

AI-powered automation helps maintain production efficiency, anticipate machine maintenance to avoid delays, and use patterns to manage precise inventory levels. It can also quickly check products for defects, ensuring only the best-quality items reach customers.

AI in supply chain management and logistics

Supply chain and logistics involve managing the flow of goods from suppliers to customers. AI can contribute to and optimize the entire process of business management, creating streamlined processes from transportation and warehousing to delivering products efficiently and on time.

An excellent example of AI's impact in this sector comes from Amazon, a company that delivers billions of packages annually in the U.S. alone:

This fun animation explains how Amazon uses artificial intelligence for process optimization and how it:

• Analyzes data from millions of customer orders and deliveries
• Creates predictive models to foresee what products customers will want next
• Develops intelligent systems for choosing the best suppliers
• Automatically reorders products based on forecasts
• Decides on the best locations for its next warehouses 
• Handles in-warehouse operations 

All these AI applications streamline Amazon's process management and translate into accurate delivery promises to customers worldwide.

AI in regulatory compliance & risk management

It costs companies 2.7 times more not to meet compliance standards than to meet them. Still, compliance is hard due to the complexity and constant evolution of legal requirements. AI can automate compliance process management by monitoring regulatory changes and alerting companies when relevant laws are updated.

For example, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence (TRRI) is an AI-powered solution that does just that.

AI also enables risk assessments by analyzing large volumes of data. It identifies potential threats and vulnerabilities, allowing the IT team to implement proactive risk management strategies.

Equally important, AI can streamline reporting by automatically generating compliance documents based on the latest data.

How AI automation makes departments more efficient

AI automation occurs in industries and departments across the board, streamlining workflows by reducing reliance on manual tasks. Workato's 2024 Work Automation and AI Index Report shows that 50% of automated processes are in at least 4 departments. Plus, the number of automated processes across at least 5 departments has doubled in the past year.

Companies work faster and smoother by enhancing business process management with intelligent systems in sectors like:

• Customer service: Chatbots and automated support systems enhance customer interaction, provide 24/7 support, and personalize customer experiences.
• Marketing automation: An AI tool creates content, personalizes marketing campaigns, and analyzes consumer behavior to improve efficiency, engagement, and conversion rates.
• Human resources: AI screens resumes and schedules interviews, and it helps in employee onboarding and training.
• Finance and accounting: Algorithms automate financial operations such as invoicing, payroll, fraud detection, and economic forecasting.

How AI automates video production

A particular case of AI automation involves video production. Consumers spend about 18 hours a week watching all kinds of videos (not just entertainment), and thanks to generative AI, companies can keep up with the demand.

Platforms like Synthesia let you turn text into video with AI avatars (digital double of real actors), translate it into multiple languages, and change its content to personalize or localize it as needed. Enterprise clients can also create an AI avatar of someone at their company and even clone their voice to show their audiences a trainer they know.

Here's a four-minute video on how creating AI videos can be done in minutes with Synthesia's natural language processing and Gen AI capabilities.

AI video production tools save employees 34% of their time and 45 hours/month, helping them create videos for marketing, training, sales enablement, customer service, and internal communications.

In short, generative artificial intelligence can automate processes in video production, allowing companies to make their own videos with minimal budgets. It solves the problem of traditional video production being resource-intensive and challenging to scale.

Scale your AI video production in-house

When it comes to business process automation, AI can be a game changer if used in the most impactful sectors.

83% of employees seem to believe that video is one of those sectors, claiming that video communication would improve their overall work experience. Want to scale your video production but are unsure how it will fit your budget?

Synthesia can help. Used by over 50% of the Fortune 100, our AI text-to-video solution will enable you to produce videos in-house with minimal resources.

Book a demo here and find out how to create better videos at scale for your organization.