As we all know all too well, inefficient processes are one of the major drivers of long workplace hours – and an incredible waste of time. Things like multiple iterations of documents across members of a team. Emailing back and forth fifteen times to schedule a
meeting only to find all times slots are booked. Manually filling out paperwork and having everything disappear when you hit “submit” due to a disconnect between two systems. You can see where this is going.
If a process is repeated manually numerous times, it stands to reason we should find a way to automate it so all systems integrate smoothly and communicate effortlessly. And this is one of the areas where optimization could happen through applications of machine learning. The concepts and technology behind artificial intelligence have always been a passion of mine – it was central to my Ph.D and those are the companies I now work with every day – so naturally, I continually find myself salivating about the ways AI can and already is making us more effective at work.
There are two ways to increase effectiveness: increase output, or reduce overhead. Here are some examples of how we might achieve both.
Optimize for efficiency by making meetings more productive
The average employee spends 5.5 hours in meetings each week, meaning most people have at least one to two meetings a day. Research suggests 50% of these meetings are a waste of time and cost U.S. companies $37 billion per year – which underscores the importance of making meetings more effective.
How do we enforce an effective process so we don’t waste time chatting about things that are irrelevant? How do we make sure everybody has heard (as in, laptops-down) what went on in each meeting? How do we make sure next steps are fully captured and understood by everyone? How do we make sure people who are absent are fully briefed and able to move forward at the same pace?
Imagine working in an office where all of your meetings are run by an AI assistant that knows your process the best. This AI assistant ensures all meetings start with a clear, pre-populated agenda and end with action items; notes are taken automatically, with key points summarized and distributed before participants even return to their desks. To-do items are listed, with action item reminders popping up for the right date and time. Follow-up meetings are simply scheduled and added to each recipient’s calendar, automatically. A full recap is immediately shared with anyone who missed a meeting. We often come out of meetings wondering if everyone is on the same page, but with the help of this AI assistant, ambiguity or disagreements might be realized much sooner, giving everyone an opportunity to align quickly and thus avoid additional back-and-forth or subsequent incorrect actions.