Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod - virtual home assistants aren’t exactly new. We can safely say these devices are a long way off from being considered artificially intelligent. 

AI technologies, driven by machine-learning, are making progress in leaps and bounds. In some industries, they are already proving their worth by taking over automatable tasks, helping to free up professionals to do the more intricate and impactful jobs. The following industries are set to grow the implementation of AI assistive technology.

Offices IoT devices

As AI assistants become smarter, they’ll eventually find their way and become ubiquitous in the workplace. Many daily office tasks are ideally suited to these types of assistants, such as taking notes, giving reminders, helping with to-do lists, etc. A report by McKinsey estimated that as much as 60% of occupations consist of at least 30% of automatable tasks. 

Manager-level employees or execs with a diverse workload to balance might find AI assistants especially useful. As the number of interconnected productivity and collaboration devices in the office increase, intelligent delegation will become necessary.

 Automated workflow and the developing technology in business process management software isn’t exactly new. However, integrating these with AI assistants will take operational and cost-savings benefits to the next level. It’s not hard to see this kind of software, powered by AI and machine-learning, integrate with personal office assistants.

 This kind of cross-company micro and macro integration of assistive AI technology can lead to incredible optimisation.

Providing personalised healthcare

With the population and average life expectancy increasing year on year, the number of people requiring the use of our limited healthcare resources is growing. Healthcare practitioners are becoming increasingly stretched to treat all of the patients assigned to them.

Here, AI assistants can help by taking care of mundane tasks, freeing up time for practitioners. AI assistants can be assisting patients to complete forms, completing screenings, and even providing basic assistance. Care Angel is one example of an assistant already in use. Natural voice processing and human-like behaviour will soften the gap between the ‘hard technology’ and real people. AI assistants have already been utilised to assist with critical operations.

Automating banking

As banking technologies develop and become even more accessible, AI has the opportunity to integrate further. Banks are increasingly trying to digitise and limit their overhead. Some digital banks are already making headway and able to offer greater convenience, lower fees, and higher interest rates due to reduced operational costs.

 In some cases, AI assistants will be able to help consumers apply for loans, open new accounts, or provide financial advice. Few will argue against eliminating reasons to go to the bank and queue up.

 Bankers could potentially be assisted by AI to make faster decisions. This can reduce the need for manual document or application processing - it may even eliminate it. If this is the goal, we might see these AI assistants integrate with Smart Contract technology soon.

Chatbots and automated customer support

Scalable, yet personal customer support services have been a real challenge for companies. Tech startups find this a particularly significant hurdle to clear. Chatbots are already used by some companies to narrow down issues and provide some form of high-level aid. However, they often fail to provide consumers with valuable experience.

AI and machine-learning may be able to contribute to a solution by providing the level of insight and personilsation required. We’re not far off the point where it will be nearly impossible to distinguish between a human or AI virtual assistant. Google provided a stunning example in 2018 of how lifelike their AI assistant can sound over the phone.

 With much of AI technologies efficacy based on machine-learning, it’s important to start collecting data early. Finding small ways in which AI can be integrated into your business is crucial to get your foot in the door.