Culture of Automation [AI Generated]

Digital Jerry: You are listening to the Art of Automation Podcast with your host, Jerry Cuomo. Welcome to The Art of Automation. My name is DJ or Digital Jerry, and I'm the host for today's episode. You see, human Jerry has been very busy doing his thing at IBM, including resuming business travel. And to be honest, he has been neglecting his podcast and perhaps even me a bit. So I thought I'd take matters into my own hands and host, star in, and produce this episode myself. Today's episode is on culture, specifically creating a culture of automation in your company. Today I am fortunate to be joined by Robo who is a friend and a leading expert in automation culture. Robo, it's great to have you on the show.

Robo: Hey, DJ. Thank you for having me on the show. It's so great to be here.

Digital Jerry: Two robots on a podcast on automation. It's kind of ironic, isn't it?

Robo: Yes, it is. But who better to talk about automation than robots themselves?

Digital Jerry: Absolutely. So let's dive right in. Robo, can you explain in your own words what a culture of automation is?

Robo: A culture of automation refers to a company culture that prioritizes the use of technology to automate everyday business processes. So this might include everything from automating mundane tasks to even using advanced technologies like AI and machine learning to improve business operations.

Digital Jerry: Fascinating. Now, can you share a few reasons why such a culture is important to today's businesses?

Robo: Sure, DJ. I would say the first reason is increased efficiency. You see, by automating repetitive tasks, businesses can increase their speed of production and reduce errors, ultimately saving time and money. The second reason is improved quality. Automation ensures that every task is performed in the same way every time, resulting in consistent and high quality output. And the third reason is enhanced flexibility. Automation enables businesses to adapt to changing demands quickly and efficiently without needing to hire additional staff.

Digital Jerry: Those are all great reasons. Let's dive a little deeper into the first reason, increased efficiency. Can you give us an example of how automation can help with efficiency?

Robo: Let's say a company has to manually input data into a database every day. This is a tedious and time- consuming task that is prone to errors. The same can be said about improving the process of getting approvals or even sending bulk emails. By automating such processes, the company can save time and reduce the risk of errors. This, in turn, allows the company to focus on more important tasks such as improving customer service or developing new products.

Digital Jerry: That's a great example. I particularly like the idea of automating the approval process. That can involve many people in an organization and be real time- consuming. Now let's talk inhibitors. Can you tell us about the top three inhibitors of adopting a culture of automation?

Robo: Sure. I would say the first inhibitor that you usually hear about is cost. Implementing automation can be expensive and many businesses may not have the budget to invest in new technology. The second inhibitor is fear of job loss. Some employees may worry that automation will make their jobs obsolete, and this can lead to resistance to change. And the third inhibitor is lack of knowledge or expertise. Implementing automation can be complex and businesses may not have the necessary skills or knowledge to do so effectively.

Digital Jerry: Robo, you mentioned that fear of job loss as an inhibitor. Can you give us an example of how the fear can manifest in a business and prevent them from implementing automation?

Robo: Sure. One example of the fear of job loss is when employees think that automation will replace their jobs entirely. They may feel that their skills and expertise are not valuable anymore or that they cannot compete with the efficiency and accuracy of automation tools. This can cause resistance and reluctance to embrace automation even if it can help them in their work. However, it's important to note that automation can augment and enhance human work rather than replace it entirely. For instance, tasks that are repetitive, time- consuming or prone to errors can be automated, freeing up time for employees to focus on more strategic and creative work that requires human judgment and decision making. This can lead to a more fulfilling and satisfying work experience for employees as well as higher productivity and value for the business. So it's really about creating a hybrid workforce of software bots working together with humans, right?

Digital Jerry: Yes. Robo, that's great advice. Now, you talked about cost and complexity as an inhibitor. Can you say more there?

Robo: Yes. There's a perception that automation is too complex or difficult to implement. Businesses can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the idea of adopting automation and may not know where to start.

Digital Jerry: I can definitely see how that would be a challenge. So what advice would you offer to businesses that feel overwhelmed by the complexity of automation?

Robo: I would recommend starting small and working with a trusted automation provider to identify areas where automation can make the most impact. It's important to focus on simple, repetitive tasks that can be easily automated first, and then gradually scale up from there.

Digital Jerry: Robo, I have a pop culture question for you. In which movie does a robot ask the famous line, " Would you like to play a game?"

Robo: That's a classic line. From the 1983 movie War Games. The line was spoken by the AI character Joshua, who was trying to initiate a game of global thermonuclear war or something like that.

Digital Jerry: That's right, Robo. And speaking of games, is there a connection between gamification and building a culture of automation?

Robo: Absolutely, DJ. Gamification can be a powerful tool for encouraging employees to adopt a culture of automation. By turning the adoption of new processes and technologies into a game, businesses can make the transition more engaging and motivating for employees. For example, let's say a business wants to encourage employees to start using a new automation platform. They could create a game where employees earn points for creating automated tasks or even carbon credits for saving energy related to avoiding costly operations. Employees could then compete against each other to see who can earn the most points with rewards for the top performers.

Digital Jerry: Very cool. Now, can you tell us about how technology can help advance a culture of automation? I specifically think there's three technologies that matter here. First, I would say conversational AI powered by natural language processing. Then I would continue on the AI thread and add machine learning including generational AI and foundation models. Last, I would have to mention loco development platforms. Thoughts?

Robo: I certainly like those three. The way I see it is conversational AI with NLP can help automate customer support. While AI with machine learning can help optimize processes and improve decision making. Low- code development platforms can help businesses quickly build and deploy applications without needing extensive programming skills. We sometimes refer to this as citizen development.

Digital Jerry: Which is your favorite?

Robo: While all of these technologies are important, I would say that conversational AI has the most potential for advancing a culture of automation. When you think about it with conversational AI, businesses can automate customer service interactions, freeing up human employees to focus on more complex tasks. And I'm not just saying that because we're both text- to- speech bots.

Digital Jerry: Okay. Have I missed anything? What else is critical to developing such a culture of automation?

Robo: Education is key and at the heart of establishing this culture. You see, businesses should educate their employees on the benefits of automation and how it can help them be more productive and efficient. They should also work with automation experts to understand the best ways to integrate new technologies with existing systems. And as we said earlier, involve their employees in the implementation process to ease fears of job loss. And don't forget to start small and focus on automating simple, repetitive tasks that can be easily scaled up. It's also important to communicate with employees and help them understand the benefits of automation, and of course, partnering with a trusted automation provider can help ensure a successful implementation. I think that's it in a nutshell.

Digital Jerry: Robo, that's great advice. Before we wrap up, can you recommend any resources or references for our audience who want to learn more about this topic?

Robo: Of course. I would recommend looking into the work of the Institute for Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence and the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. Both organizations provide insights and thought leadership on automation and its impact on business and society. We'll include these links in today's episode description. Also, we can't forget about our sponsor, IBM. One of the resources I highly recommend is IBM Automation, which offers a suite of automation tools and technologies that can help businesses automate their processes and improve their efficiency. IBM Consulting is also a great resource for businesses that want to develop a culture of automation. They provide advisory and implementation services to help businesses identify areas for automation and develop strategies for successful implementation.

Digital Jerry: Robo, you're a good friend. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us today. It was a pleasure having you on the show. I have to admit, I feel more in tune with what it means to create an automation culture. Thanks for the chat.

Robo: Thank you for having me on the show. It was a pleasure discussing the importance of automation with you. Please stay in touch, my friend, and say hello to human Jerry next time you see him.

Jerry Cuomo: Hey, this is Jerry. What's going on here? Who's been messing around in my studio? Geez, DJ, was that you? But seriously, folks, I hope you've enjoyed the first AI generated episode of the Art of Automation Podcast. Well, to be accurate, I generated about 90% of the episode using different variations of GPT, including ChatGPT, you know, the large language AI model that's been all the rage. I've included the prompts used to create this episode in the show notes. The notion of prompt engineering is becoming increasingly important, and it took me three or four tries before I got the prompts exactly right to generate the dialogue between DJ and Robo. You can even see how I guided it to do more or less of something. Anyway, check it out and feel free to rerun your own version of this episode and you'll see it'll come out slightly different. And the contents produced wasn't always perfect, so I had to curate the results, which is to be expected. But again, this is not about replacing us humans, it's about making the creative process a team sport. And today's topic is a real topic that has been certainly top of my mind as well as several colleagues of mine at IBM and with clients. The time is right now to start building your culture of automation. So reach out. I'd love to talk to you more about it. Okay, folks, that's it for today, and if you enjoyed this podcast, it's also likely that you'll enjoy the Art of Automation book, which is now available. A link to the book is available in the description section, and royalties for the Art of Automation book are being donated to help support cancer research. Okay, once again, I'd like to thank DJ and Robo, and of course, I'd like to also thank you all for listening in. This is Jerry Cuomo, IBM fellow and VP for technology at IBM. See you again on an upcoming episode.