Operational efficiency is the cornerstone of a successful business, and AI is transforming operations through automation, machine learning, and predictive analytics. These technologies help optimize critical processes and uncover practical insights, enabling organizations to save costs, increase productivity, and foster innovation. Among business leaders “extremely familiar” with AI, 41% anticipate a complete redesign of their processes. Early The post Enhancing efficiency with AI automation and insights appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.
Operational efficiency is the cornerstone of a successful business, and AI is transforming operations through automation, machine learning, and predictive analytics. These technologies help optimize critical processes and uncover practical insights, enabling organizations to save costs, increase productivity, and foster innovation. Among business leaders “extremely familiar” with AI, 41% anticipate a complete redesign of their processes.
Early AI adopters have found success in three business scenarios: enhancing operational productivity, translating data into insights, and transforming enterprise resource planning (ERP) for the era of AI. These AI innovators are already realizing a 150% increase in work output from automating and scaling processes. Now is the time to accelerate your AI journey with confidence.
Powering business optimization with AI
Employees who embrace AI capabilities report significant productivity gains. Among employees highly familiar with AI, 92% report it makes their workload more manageable and boosts their creativity. Scaling these individual benefits into broader operational efficiencies can help organizations deliver real business impact and enhance the employee experience.
Moving beyond a proof of concept and individual gains requires collaboration across an organization and a scalable, unified data infrastructure. Cloud-based environments can accelerate AI adoption, and 66% of cloud apps are expected to use AI by 2026. Microsoft Azure is empowering organizations to reimagine and streamline core processes to be more efficient and strategic, driving a 284% return on investment over three years with Azure AI.
To unlock the full potential of AI, it is crucial for organizations to evaluate which business processes can benefit from AI-powered capabilities like data-driven insights and automation. AI delivers value across many functions and roles, and organizations can maximize AI investments by prioritizing processes that drive competitive advantage.
Reducing manual processes by 75% with automation
With AI-powered process automation, employees have more time to focus on value-added, strategic tasks. Fintech company Saphyre transformed its financial trading workflows with an intelligent cloud-based solution on Azure. The company’s AI-driven solution reduced manual paperwork, such as email exchanges and faxes, by 75%.
Similarly, healthcare solutions provider Epic is incorporating generative AI into its electronic-health-record software that can run on Azure. The company is using Azure OpenAI Service to increase productivity and enhance patient care through natural language queries and interactive data analytics. Healthcare providers can also automatically draft message responses to ease clinicians’ administrative tasks.
ERP systems that feature AI capabilities can boost efficiency with data-driven insights from inventory management, supply chain, and finance operations. For example, US food brand StarKist combined its production and planning process with finance operations in the Board Enterprise Planning Platform, which is hosted on Azure. Connecting these information sources gives the company a single, reliable source of truth and led to a 94% reduction in planning time.
Uncovering new business insights with AI
A modernized, unified data estate is the foundation for harnessing AI-driven analytic insights that can reveal new trends and opportunities. These insights can significantly enhance decision-making and risk management, helping businesses gain a competitive advantage and drive sustainable growth.
In healthcare, AI-powered analytics can identify health trends and inform predictive modeling. For example, global healthcare company Novo Nordisk collaborated with Microsoft Research to develop predictive AI models for advanced risk detection in cardiovascular diseases. Using AI services in the Azure ecosystem, the two organizations developed an algorithm that helps physicians predict patients’ cardiovascular risks better than the best clinical standards.
Another example is Ontada, a McKesson business that is dedicated to oncology data and evidence, clinical education, and point-of-care technologies. The company is revolutionizing healthcare data analysis with access to previously untapped, unstructured data. With Azure AI Foundry and the Azure OpenAI Service Batch API, Ontada implemented large language models to target nearly 100 critical oncology data elements across 39 cancer types. This approach significantly enhances the speed and accuracy of extracting essential clinical insights, driving more informed decision-making in oncology care.
Reimagining work with AI
To unlock the full potential of AI, organizations need to build strong data foundations and adopt the right AI solutions. As decision-makers explore AI’s possibilities, they evaluate critical factors such as ease of use, scalability, and seamless integration with existing systems. By embracing AI, businesses are optimizing operations, driving innovation, and unlocking new opportunities for growth. With the right strategy, any organization can empower its workforce, enhance productivity, and create lasting impact in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
To learn more about how Azure is helping optimize business operations with AI, please review the following resources:
- The Art of Practical AI: Optimizing Your Business e-book: Explore actionable insights and real-world examples in this e-book to help IT and business leaders unlock AI’s potential.
- Take an AI readiness assessment: Answer a few simple questions to assess your readiness for extracting meaningful business value from AI.
- Discover Microsoft AI solutions: Find out how Microsoft is empowering the world to achieve more with AI, and discover the technology-driving transformation.
The post Enhancing efficiency with AI automation and insights appeared first on Microsoft in Business Blogs.
