PwC AI Jobs Barometer, Sainsbury’s, Fujitsu, Microsoft & more – PEX News

PEX Network brings you the latest news in process and operational excellence (OPEX), business process management (BPM), digital transformation, process mining/intelligence, low-code technology, robotic process automation (RPA), intelligent document processing (IDP), Lean Six Sigma, Kaizen and more.

Week of 05/20, 2024, includes:

• PwC AI Jobs Barometer reveals AI’s impact on jobs, skills and productivity
• IBM intros IBM Concert to control business operations with generative AI insights
• ProcessMaker completes Workfellow acquisition, announces new generative AI platform version
• Sainsbury’s and Microsoft collaborate to enhance customer and colleague experience with AI
• Fujitsu scales automation with UiPath to meet digital transformation goals
• 16 companies sign up to international AI safety standards
• Microsoft intros AI flows and AI recorder in Power Automate
• ABBYY welcomes Clayton C. Peddy as CISO to ensure robust cyber security
• Women in Process Mining holds first NYC Chapter
• GBTEC expands global presence with new offices in the US and UK
• Parkopedia collaborates with BMW Group to improve EV charging process
• Nemetschek Group establishes global digital twin partner network

PwC AI Jobs Barometer reveals AI’s impact on jobs, skills and productivity

PwC published the 2024 AI Jobs Barometer, a deep dive into how AI is transforming the world of work and making people/businesses more productive while changing what it takes for workers to succeed. The research analyzed more than half a billion job adverts across Europe, North America and Asia.

It found that sectors more exposed to AI are experiencing almost five-fold greater labor productivity growth, while jobs that require AI skills carry up to a 25 percent wage premium in some markets. It also discovered a higher skills change (25 percent) in AI-exposed occupations, with knowledge work sectors (financial services, professional services and information and communication) seeing the most rapid growth in the share of roles requiring AI skills.

“AI provides much more than efficiency gains. AI offers fundamentally new ways of creating value,” said Scott Likens, global AI and innovation technology leader at PwC. “In our work with clients, we see companies using AI to amplify the value their people can deliver. There is a nearly limitless demand for many things if we can improve our ability to deliver them – and limitless opportunity for organizations and individuals that invest in learning and applying the technology.”

IBM intros IBM Concert to control business operations with generative AI insights

Process mining provider IBM introduced IBM Concert to help businesses control their operations with generative AI insights. IBM Concert provides application owners with a detailed understanding of their connected applications and toolsets so they can find opportunities to streamline compliance processes, according to the technology giant.

“By leveraging generative AI to help provide a detailed view of your application landscape, IBM Concert can help unlock new opportunities for optimization and innovation, helping your applications operate at peak performance,” IBM said.

ProcessMaker completes Workfellow acquisition, announces new generative AI platform version

Business process automation and intelligent document processing firm ProcessMaker completed its acquisition of process intelligence vendor Workfellow. The move marks a significant step forward in ProcessMaker’s mission to enhance and expand its suite of solutions, integrating task and process mining technologies that enable businesses to discover inefficiencies and unlock new opportunities for improvement, according to a press release.

ProcessMaker also announced the ProcessMaker Platform Spring Release. The latest version includes innovation, enhancements and new integrations that help businesses achieve their full potential as they strive for efficiency and productivity gains across systems, processes and departments, the firm said. The new release ships with new connectors to Bamboo and Google and includes expanded interoperability with Workfellow (rebranded as ProcessMaker Process Intelligence). ProcessMaker Platform was named the 2024 SIIA CODiE Award Winner in the Best Generative AI Solution for Business category.

Sainsbury’s and Microsoft collaborate to enhance customer and colleague experience with AI

UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s and Microsoft announced a new five-year strategic partnership, using Microsoft’s AI and machine learning capabilities and Sainsbury’s datasets to help accelerate the retailer’s recently announced Next Level Sainsbury’s strategy.

The partnership will improve store operations, drive greater efficiency for colleagues and provide customers with more efficient and effective service, delivering stronger returns for shareholders under Sainsbury’s ‘Save and invest to win’ program, the pair said.

By harnessing Microsoft’s products and expert engineering capabilities, Sainsbury’s will put the power of AI in the hands of store colleagues and make shopping more engaging and more convenient for millions of customers across the UK – both online and in store.

“Our collaboration with Microsoft will accelerate our ambition to become the UK’s leading AI-enabled grocer,” commented Clodagh Moriarty, Sainsbury’s chief retail and technology officer. “It’s one of the key ways we’re investing in transforming our capabilities over the next three years, enabling us to take another big leap forward in efficiency and productivity, continue to provide leading customer service and deliver returns for our shareholders.”

Fujitsu scales automation with UiPath to meet digital transformation goals

Japanese information and communication technology company Fujitsu is scaling the use of UiPath’s AI-powered Business Automation Platform enterprise-wide to meet its digital transformation targets. UiPath is a leading enterprise automation and AI software company that was recently named a leader in Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for Process Mining Solutions.

Fujitsu launched first launched its digital transformation project in October 2020, seeking to reevaluate and transform business processes, organizations and corporate culture, in addition to its products, services and business models. As part of the expanded collaboration, UiPath will help Fujitsu optimize existing business processes and design new automation-led business processes to realize the full potential of its automation deployment. It will also along help Fujitsu equip its workforce with automation skills and become citizen developers through automation courses on UiPath Academy, according to a press release. Furthermore, the partnership will help Fujitsu streamline operations and boost workforce efficiency in anticipation of future workforce changes, it added.

“We are confident that UiPath will continue to be a trusted partner in our automation journey, and we are excited to extend the benefits of AI-powered automation across our global business,” said Yuzuru Fukuda, chief digital transformation officer and CIO at Fujitsu.

16 companies sign up to international AI safety standards

The AI Safety Summit, hosted jointly by the UK and South Korea, saw 16 of the world’s biggest technology companies agree to new, voluntary international AI standards. These standards aim to foster transparency, accountability and research on the risks of AI development, including setting thresholds for when the risks of AI become too high. The companies include Open AI, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and IBM.

“The agreements we have reached in Seoul mark the beginning of Phase Two of our AI Safety agenda, in which the world takes concrete steps to become more resilient to the risks of AI and begins a deepening of our understanding of the science that will underpin a shared approach to AI safety in the future,” said UK technology secretary Michelle Donelan. “For companies, it is about establishing thresholds of risk beyond which they won’t release their models.”

Commenting on the announcement, Roman Kucera, CTO at Ataccama, said: “The international commitment to maintaining momentum on developing AI safety standards is positive step forward towards trustworthy AI. We would like to see clarity around the establishment of guardrails for ensuring transparency within training data and, more broadly, any data usage for AI models to mitigate the risks of bias and inaccuracy.”

Microsoft intros AI flows and AI recorder in Power Automate

At Microsoft Build 2024, Microsoft announced enhancements to Power Automate with new AI-powered automation tools. With AI flows, automation shifts from rules-based to AI-based automation that is adaptive and outcome-based. With the new AI recorder, desktop flows are getting smarter and more intuitive.

AI flows provides a new approach to process automation that uses generative AI to streamline operations and reduce costs, Microsoft stated. Now, Power Automate can interpret process objectives, generate automation plans, autonomously select actions and validate outcomes, it added.

AI recorder allows developers to develop RPA through screen sharing and voice coaching, leveraging multi-modal understanding for comprehensive training, the technology giant said. Using AI, the Power Automate recorder captures the user’s desktop process through voice and video, completing UI automation in minutes, instead of days.

ABBYY welcomes Clayton C. Peddy as CISO to ensure robust cyber security

Intelligent automation provider ABBYY appointed Clayton C. Peddy as its new chief information security officer (CISO). Peddy will lead the company’s information and cyber security initiatives ensuring that ABBYY maintains the highest standards of data protection, regulatory compliance and innovation for its customers, according to the announcement. Peddy has over two decades of cyber security, software development, architecture consulting and digital transformation experience, having held security leadership roles at organizations such as OutSystems and Citrix.

“I am thrilled to join ABBYY, a company recognized for its leadership in intelligent document processing and processing mining, and a reputation for delivering significant value to customers,” Peddy said.

Women in Process Mining holds first NYC Chapter

Last week, Women in Process Mining (WIPM) held its first NYC Chapter with an event hosted by chapter lead Queenie Lin. Attendees heard a fireside chat from industry leaders Myrna Acosta, Signavio North America at SAP, Kerry Brown, Celonis, Thierry Kahane and Jan-Malte Prädel, both Capgemini Invent. They discussed their career journeys, insights on utilizing process mining and advice on overcoming challenges in the workplace. Participants took part in networking and learned how to empower and support other women in the field.

WIPM is a community designed for women in process mining to strengthen their leadership, magnify their influence and pave the way for process mining together.

GBTEC expands global presence with new offices in the US and UK

Intelligent BPM and digital process automation provider GBTEC is expanding its global presence with new offices in the US and UK. This strategic move is driven by its partnership with The Carlyle Group, the vendor said. The new offices will enable GBTEC to build local operations teams to better serve clients in North America and Europe, it added.

“I am thrilled that together with our new investor Carlyle, we are now taking the next steps in the global expansion of GBTEC. Opening our offices in the US and UK is more than just a strategic decision – it is a promise to our customers and partners to provide first-class service and innovative solutions worldwide,” commented Gregor Greinke, CEO of GBTEC.

Parkopedia collaborates with BMW Group to improve EV charging process

Connected car services provider Parkopedia has expanded its partnership with BMW Group to improve the EV charging process for electric vehicle owners. According to a press release, new functionality provides drivers with photos and ratings for charging locations, alongside essential information such as the precise location of the charger, the charging speed, connector type and dynamic data including charging availability and whether units are operational or out-of-order.

Parkopedia currently provides coverage across Europe and will be expanding into new markets to address global driver demand for an enhanced EV charging process. “This new service with BMW Group demonstrates Parkopedia’s commitment to improving the charging experience for EV drivers and we will shortly combine this with verified driver reviews for charging locations to deliver the highest quality and most up-to-date information possible when deciding where to charge,” commented Hans Puvogel, COO of Parkopedia. “We are honored to partner with BMW Group on a service of this scale and accuracy, showing the company’s dedication to its drivers and to an electric future.”

Nemetschek Group establishes global digital twin partner network

The Nemetschek Group, a leading software provider for the architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AEC/O) and media industries, announced a network of partnerships to accelerate the global adoption of digital twins. Digital twins are digital models of intended or real-world physical products, systems or processes that serve as the effectively indistinguishable digital counterpart for practical purposes such as simulation, integration, testing, monitoring and maintenance. Digital twins are a growing element of OPEX strategies.

The network will act as an ecosystem of partners within the AEC/O industry that provides reality capture, data integration and high value consulting services, according to a press release. The first partners have been sourced in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

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