By Abhay Barhanpurkar, Senior Director - Engineering - Harman Connected Services Corp. India Pvt. Ltd, India
Introduction
Work productivity indicates how well employees work to support key business goals and overall performance. Factors impacting work productivity include overflow of communication including chain of emails on a topic, too many meetings, absence of required technology skills, work environment, lack of motivation, and our issues and state of mind.
AI can free up staff time by automating routine tasks, such as admin and internal communications. This allows employees to focus on more engaging or strategic work.
In this article, we look at how AI is transforming the way we used to work in the past and how it is revolutionizing productivity today and, in the future, using the tools.
Looking back
In the early 20th century, office work heavily relied on manual labor. Stenographers were essential for transcribing speeches, meetings, and correspondence. The introduction of typewriters brought some relief, allowing for faster and more legible document creation. However, these tasks remained labor-intensive, time-consuming, and boring.
The mid-20th century saw the advent of computers, which revolutionized office work. Word processors replaced typewriters, making document creation, and editing more efficient. Spreadsheet software automated complex calculations, reducing human error and increasing productivity. Despite these advancements, many tasks still required significant manual input and oversight.
The Rise of AI in the Workplace
AI has taken automation to a new level. Repetitive tasks, such as data entry, scheduling, and document management, can now be handled by AI-driven systems. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can perform these tasks with high accuracy and speed, freeing up employees to focus on more strategic and creative work. Tools such as UiPath and Zapier connect different apps to automate workflows and processes.
AI-powered tools like Samsung's Galaxy Note series can transform handwritten notes into digital text and diagrams. These tools enhance productivity by allowing users to quickly convert ideas into structured formats. Lucidchart converts textual descriptions into visual diagrams and business process flows.
One of the most transformative aspects of AI is its ability to provide personalized assistance. AI-powered virtual assistants, such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, can help manage emails, schedule meetings, and set reminders. Advanced AI tools can even dictate, and draft emails based on a few keywords, significantly reducing the time spent on communication. Grammarly enables Advanced grammar, spelling, and style correction. Google Smart Compose Suggests complete sentences and phrases in Gmail.
In the realm of software development, AI has made a significant impact. AI-driven code generation tools, like GitHub Copilot, can assist developers by suggesting code snippets, completing functions, and even identifying bugs. This not only speeds up the development process but also reduces the likelihood of errors, leading to more robust software. Further, there are test case generation, documentation generation, and test case optimization tools, which can significantly reduce the time to create those, especially in the regulated environment, where we need to create lots of them.
Continuous learning and adoption of new technologies are going to be important to sustain the job. AI can also support continuous learning and improvement in the workplace. Personalized learning platforms powered by AI can recommend courses, provide feedback, and track progress, enabling employees to develop new skills and stay updated with industry trends.
AI-powered speech recognition tools, like Otter.ai and Rev, can transcribe meetings in real-time with high accuracy. This technology has replaced manual stenography; and saved time and effort while providing instant access to meeting records. Microsoft Office Copilot can help summarise emails, review contract documents received from clients, and dictate emails or meeting conversations. This helps in reducing communication overflow and improves team collaboration.
Further, AI can analyze video recordings of meetings and generate concise summaries, highlighting key points and action items. Tools like Zoom's Smart Recording can extract important information, making it easier for team members to review and follow up. I can decide to skip a lengthy call and review the meeting summary through AI tools. Services like AudioNotes use natural language processing (NLP) to create summaries that can be quickly reviewed.
During a new project start, when looking for specific profiles I get hundreds of profiles for a single hire. AI can analyze profiles to identify the best candidates for a job. Tools like LinkedIn Recruiter leverage AI to match job requirements with candidate skills, streamlining the recruitment process. Hiretual is another AI-powered recruiting software for sourcing and screening candidates.
I generally get overwhelmed when I need to travel for long distances or longer durations with multiple client meetings. I need to raise a ticket to get approvals, and book flights, ground transportation, and hotels. Many times, I neither know about the area I am visiting, nor the travel agency knows about it. Furthermore, I need to track all the expenses and submit them when
I am back. AI can assist in planning business trips by recommending optimal travel routes, booking flights and accommodations, and creating itineraries. Services like TripIt and Google Travel use AI to provide personalized travel planning. Tools are also helping in scanning the bills and creating itemized expenses, which could be directly imported into the expense management system.
In research and publication, AI can assist in research by quickly locating relevant sources and organizing documents. Tools like Mendeley and Zotero use AI to manage references and create bibliographies, streamlining the research process.
Future possibilities
Smartphones are becoming powerful, which is enabling edge computing. Imagine an app listening to the conversation, learning the context, and prompting me on how to respond, use the right words or customer language, and avoid potential friction at the workplace. It may do so post the conversation to improve my communication skills.
Every person has a unique circadian rhythm. This rhythm can tell your energy cycle. AI can help optimize productivity by aligning work schedules with employees' circadian rhythms. Tools can analyze patterns in work habits and energy levels to recommend the best times for various tasks, ensuring employees work when they are most alert and efficient. Rise Science Provides personalized sleep and energy insights to optimize daily performance. Timeshifter Helps manage and optimize circadian rhythms, especially for those who travel frequently. In another experiment, a new lighting control method in the office is proposed, which is expected to intelligently adjust the circadian rhythm of office workers and improve their work productivity.
By automating routine tasks and providing personalized assistance, AI is already helping employees manage their workload more effectively. What is missing is a fun factor at work. A smartphone application or desktop application can learn from your work habits, and understand your work schedule and browsing history. It can use this data to orient the employee to take hard-to-do tasks by providing a kick start with humor, doing breathing exercises to increase energy, reminding them to call loved ones, etc. This can lead to improved work-life balance, reducing stress and increasing job satisfaction.
I have created thousands of presentations on different offerings and topics. Many times, a customer asks for a cross combination of offerings and capabilities. It takes some effort and time to create content from different files. Sometimes the task is boring. An AI-based document search on local or shared drives and a PowerPoint generation tool can extract relevant slides. Some other tools can further enhance the productivity. Tools like Beautiful.ai use AI to design visually appealing presentations with minimal effort. Slidebean Uses AI to design presentation slides based on input content.
Conclusion
The integration of AI into the workplace marks a new era of productivity and efficiency. From automating mundane tasks to offering personalized assistance and fostering continuous learning, AI is transforming the way we work. As technology continues to advance, the potential for AI to further enhance work productivity is limitless. Embracing these changes will not only drive business success but also improve the overall quality of work life for employees. AI's integration into various aspects of work has the potential to significantly boost productivity. By aligning tasks with circadian rhythms, automating routine activities, enhancing communication, and providing intelligent assistance, AI transforms the work experience into a more efficient and engaging endeavor. As AI technology continues to evolve, its impact on productivity will only become more profound, shaping the future of work in unprecedented ways.
