AI Automation, also called intelligent automation, uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automate tasks and processes. It combines AI’s analytical capabilities with the automation power of tools like Zapier and Make to streamline business operations.
AI automation also makes good use of machine learning algorithms, natural language processing, and computer vision to analyze data, learn from it, and make decisions. This allows machines to handle tasks that only humans could do in the past.
In this article, we’ll be talking about what AI automation is, why businesses can’t afford to not use it, and why this tool is a key part of the digital transformation. As Slashrepeat is also a human-first AI automation agency, we’ll also cover the ethics of using AI and its impact on jobs.
Believe it or not, it’s perfectly possible to use AI automation in your business and retain your team – and that is what we encourage!
They are two different processes that are useful in their own right:
These two don’t need each other to deliver great results, but when you put them together, something special happens: cognitive automation.
Think of it as giving a robot a brain. Now your robot has the capacity to analyze and learn when executing a task. In other words, you now have intelligent automation.
Automation tools are not a new technology. Zapier has been powering automations since 2011, while Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been around since the early 2000s.
Enter generative AI technology, which exploded in 2023 when tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney stunned the world by redefining what was possible with AI.
For businesses, it was a revelation. It’s hard to overstate just how many benefits that people get from being able to turn on the autopilot feature in their business:
This is down to a few factors. Computers don’t make as many mistakes or get as tired as the average human, which means that putting a few strategic AI automations in place can yield significant benefits.
And in this economy, that’s a very good thing indeed.
Great question! AI automations are incredibly versatile and constantly improving as the technology develops. The most exciting thing about AI and automation is the speed of development – just look at how AI videos have progressed!
However, AI is still in its infancy and makes a lot of mistakes. At Slashrepeat, we believe it is best used in controlled automations where you can enjoy consistent outputs.
How? Let’s go through a few common examples of how businesses use AI automation today.
These are common business use cases for using AI and automation. They’re the bread and butter of what we do at Slashrepeat, using no-code and low-code tools like Make and Zapier to create controlled processes for great results.
If customers have an issue, they typically want immediate resolution, or at least a response. AI automation can quickly resolve simple customer issues and expedite trickier and more nuanced issues to a human.
This approach reduces strain on your customer support team while delivering a much faster service than humans could alone.
As a copywriter in my past professional life, I know just how gruelling the demands of the content machine can be. We all want that organic traffic from Google and social media, but there’s no denying this takes a lot of talent and time.
AI automation changes this, giving a huge productivity boost to everything from blogs and newsletters to Instagram and TikTok. Not only in creating content, but also responding to comments and interacting with your industry.
The only problem is that ChatGPT’s output can be very bland and generic. That’s where prompt engineering comes in along with rigid automations.
I’m a copywriter who has mastered prompting. The last thing I want is bland and boring copy, either for myself or the businesses I work with!
Nobody likes this job. Worse, our eyes grow heavy and our brains shut down after staring at rows and rows of data for hours. Yet all this data is important for your business. It’s not something you can just stop doing.
This is a classic use case for automation, particularly Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Computers are number-crunchers at heart. Paired with AI, you not only make short work of processing data, but also gleaning some incredibly useful business insights as well.
Financial process automation goes beyond spreadsheeting, invoices, and taxes (and does a great job). It can be used to assess credit risk and detect fraud – this can be very useful in some industries.
For most businesses, the biggest time-saving gains will be made by automating specific repetitive tasks that can be performed more cost-effectively with AI. How does your company handle invoicing, sales orders, and payroll, for example? AI automation can do all of faster and better.
Marketing and sales is a job that never ends, and they are ripe for intelligent automation. AI automation can help you to track and qualify leads, as well as onboard your latest client instantaneously with a welcome pack that looks like it took hours to create.
These are some of the most common automations, and you may be using a form in your business already for social media automation or email marketing automation. But are you also integrating your sales and marketing efforts into your CRM using CRM automation? If you’re not, then consider how much time your sales and marketing team is spending on unecessary pencil-pushing.
Digital transformation is one of the buzziest buzzwords of the past few years. But what does it actually mean?
It just means using digital technology to create or modify existing business processes. It also reflects on how you deliver value to your customers.
It also means getting comfortable with change, because AI is currently evolving at breakneck speed. What does this mean for you as a business?
It ultimately means that to keep up with your competitors who are digitally transforming their businesses, you need to do the same.
This doesn’t have to be a painful self-reflection and throwing away old, cherished business practices. It also doesn’t mean firing half your staff in favor of a robot. It just means that you should consider automating some of your processes to stay competitive.
Humans look to their leaders in times of uncertainty, and digital transformation is no different, especially if you are considering AI automation.
Before you do anything, you need to understand what “digital” means for your company and what the “transformation” part entails.
Why is this important? Ask members of your team what digital transformation means to them. You’ll soon find out everyone has a different idea.
Knowing what digital transformation means for your organization and telling your people gives everyone the same idea. At the same time, it will reduce fears about what AI automation might mean for their jobs.
Talk with your teams and understand what they need for a successful digital transformation. Be the leader who takes them into the uncertain with a vision that works for the entire company – and not just your bottom line.
Sure, your bottom line is important. You’re a business. But that really brings me to the last point of this article.
I’m not going to ignore the elephant in the room here. Millions of people are worried about AI taking their jobs. I’m someone who has seen my industry greatly affected by it.
But it isn’t AI that is taking jobs. It is the people who consciously make a decision to replace people with AI, even if the technology isn’t quite there yet and enough care hasn’t been taken to ensure that automated AI systems deliver good results.
Just ask Air Canada how their badly-made AI chatbot worked out for them.
I view AI as a tool to augment human work. A tool that can take over the grind of the day-to-day manual tasks that are highly repetitive, freeing up your people for high-ROI tasks instead.
A way to speed up processes by getting all the fiddly bits done so your professional talent can check the final output and make adjustments for quality.
A way to quickly get processes that don’t need humans to be done well finished fast, so you can spend more time on the processes that do need human focus.
If your only focus is cost-cutting and replacing your humans with AI automation, then I can’t tell you now that Slashrepeat isn’t a good fit for you as an AI Automation Agency.
If you’re an employer who cares about your team but also wants to explore how AI can make you do more with less, then Slashrepeat can help. Remember, AI and automation are just tools! It’s how we use them that makes a real difference.
Now you have an idea of some of the ways that you can use AI and automation to make your business more efficient, why not book a free 30-minute consultation (no strings attached!) to get advice that’s tailored around your specific needs?
Book your consultation now. It’s free and friendly, with no pushy sales tactics. We can start your project as early as tomorrow!
