9 Ways AI Automation Can Boost Productivity, Simplify Work and Increase Efficiency

We're standing at a crossroads when it comes to AI adoption. 

The potential is enormous, but so are the questions: Is it worth the investment? Are the benefits tangible?

According to Forrester, while many tech leaders are increasing their investments in AI, they’re wary of whether it’s delivering the returns they expect. 

If you’ve been considering AI for your business, you’re not alone in weighing the potential benefits against the challenges. 

The key to success often lies in how effectively you integrate AI with automation. Together, these technologies AI with automation can transform how your business operates — but only if you use them strategically.

Let’s break it down and explore how AI and automation are reshaping the workplace, the ways they complement each other, and how you can take full advantage of their capabilities.

What are AI, automation, and AI automation?

You’ve probably heard the terms “AI” and “automation” tossed around a lot, especially in tech conversations. 

But what do they really mean? How do they work together to transform how businesses operate? 

Let’s break it down with relatable examples.

Artificial intelligence (AI) 

Think of AI as the brain. It is a collection of systems or technologies designed to mimic human intelligence. It learns, solves problems, and helps make decisions.

For example, AI-powered chatbots can resolve employee IT issues in real time by understanding natural language, identifying the problem, and providing tailored answers.

Automation

Now imagine the hands.  Automation executes repetitive tasks based on predefined rules.

For example, automating password resets or scheduling regular software updates ensures these routine tasks happen quickly and consistently without manual intervention.

AI automation

This is where the brain and hands work together seamlessly. AI automation combines AI’s intelligent decision-making with automation’s execution to handle tasks more efficiently.

For instance, an AI automation system could analyze support tickets, categorize them based on urgency, and route them to the appropriate team — ensuring tasks are completed faster and more accurately without manual sorting.

Here’s a quick comparison:

When AI and automation are combined, you get systems that handle both routine and complex tasks with speed and precision. This blend allows businesses to: 

• Scale operations
• Improve response times 
• Free up teams to focus on more strategic priorities

Key differences between AI and automation

AI and automation are different concepts that don't always go hand-in-hand. As a result, organizations often adopt new technologies that don’t actually serve their end goals. 

To maximize the value of your AI investments, it’s important to understand how AI and automation differ and where they can complement each other.

Here’s a breakdown of their key differences:

Why AI and automation work better together

AI and automation are powerful on their own, but combining them creates solutions that can scale with your business. You can see a clear example of this in IT service management (ITSM) settings.

For example, without automation, your IT team would spend hours resetting passwords or fixing routine issues. By adding AI automation, these tasks can be taken care of by ‘AI assistants,’ freeing up your team to tackle bigger challenges.

Nearly 60% of IT professionals report feeling overwhelmed by routine tasks, and on average, they can only support around 85% of daily tickets. AI automation can significantly reduce the strain on overworked IT teams, enabling them to focus on more strategic, value-adding activities.

AI-powered chatbots can provide front-line support to help address common IT issues effectively. Not only can these tools provide instant responses to user inquiries, but they can also automate tasks like:

• System password resets and user setups
• Software configurations and firmware updates
• Access management across various cloud-based services
• Support ticket prioritization and escalation

Other examples of AI and automation in business

The great thing about modern AI-powered automation solutions is that there are a variety of ways they can support industry-specific automation needs. AI and automation blend particularly well together in:

• Healthcare: Automated data analysis solutions help doctors and medical technicians make faster, more accurate diagnoses based on medical imaging and client records.
• Financial services: AI algorithms used in automated fraud detection systems analyze transaction data in real time and flag or block any suspicious activities.
• Manufacturing: Modern AI-enabled machines can use automated protocols to perform large-scale production tasks on complex assembly lines in manufacturing plants. 

AI assistants are supercharging the workplace

Newer AI assistants are dynamic tools organizations can use to support a wide range of business functions. They integrate seamlessly across a business' current technology stack and can automate workloads spread across interconnect platforms and apps. 

As AI technology continues to improve over time, so do the capabilities of AI copilots. Backed by advanced reasoning and decision-making capabilities, these AI-enabled assistants can handle much more complicated business tasks. 

Employees can leverage AI assistants to get instant answers to their questions, automate repetitive and time-consuming processes, and even help identify potential roadblocks in their workflows before they cause issues.

9 powerful ways intelligent automation can transform your business

No matter your industry, intelligent automation is quickly becoming essential to maximize productivity and maintain a competitive edge. 

While most AI-enabled tools require a fair amount of direct human management, intelligent automation takes things a step further — it combines artificial intelligence with business process management (BPM) and robotic process automation (RPA) to handle workflows with minimal effort from your team. 

Of course, complex technical concepts are always easier to understand through real-world examples, so let’s look at nine ways you can use intelligent automation to transform how you work.

1. Support talent acquisition

Hiring can be one of the most time-consuming processes for any organization, but using a combination of AI automation can make it much faster and easier. 

Imagine having tools that can: 

• Create relevant job descriptions in seconds 
• Vet resumes to find the best candidates faster
• Schedule interviews and send follow-ups automatically 

With AI automation, your HR team can streamline every stage of the hiring process. 

Not only does this help you capitalize on every opportunity to recruit top talent, but it also ensures applicants stay informed with real-time updates on their hiring status 

Meanwhile, your HR staff regains valuable time and gets to focus on what truly matters — building a strong company culture and addressing strategic workforce needs. 

It’s a win-win: smoother processes for your team and a better experience for your candidates.

2. Answer user questions

Your organization generates and stores an overwhelming amount of information — business policies, customer data, standard operating procedures, and other valuable information. 

The problem? This information is often scattered across hundreds systems and databases, making it a nightmare to find when you need it. 

In fact, nearly a third of employees spend at least half a workday each week just searching for the information they need to do their jobs.

AI and automation can come to the rescue. AI-powered search solutions can unify all your data into a single, accessible source of truth.

Instead of digging through emails, folders, or disconnected systems, employees can simply ask an AI assistant for what they need — whether it’s details about company benefits or a specific marketing document stored in an isolated database.

For example, AkzoNobel, a global paint and coating supplier, headquartered in Amsterdam faced challenges in accessing the right information in their language of choice. 

To tackle that, they implemented an AI-powered enterprise search solution, which is now actively used by over 25,000 employees — 72% of AkzoNobel’s workforce — to get immediate answers to their questions, improving business processes and maximizing productivity. 

3. Manage budgets and expenses

Tracking finances manually can be a nightmare. With intelligent automation, you can streamline your processes by:

• Sending automatic budget reminders, 
• Verifying invoices in seconds 
• Generating accurate financial reports

Advanced AI solutions ensure minimal errors when calculating or processing financial data. In turn, businesses significantly reduce the possibility of human error and operational risks, boosting long-term viability and compliance.

4. Resolve or escalate IT tickets

We mentioned earlier that IT teams are struggling under increasing workloads, which leaves businesses in a tough position. 

On one hand, your team needs to manage IT support tickets quickly to keep operations running smoothly. On the other hand, you want to avoid overburdening your IT staff and risking burnout. 

Here’s where intelligent automation can make a real difference. Self-service AI chatbots can manage common IT support requests like password resets or troubleshooting basic issues. When you add automation to the picture, you create an even more powerful solution for handling  IT service management (ITSM) processes. 

With a fully automated IT ticket management system, routine tasks — like access management, hardware provisioning, resolving low-priority tickets — are handled instantly. This doesn’t just save time. It allows your IT team to focus on more critical issues that move your business forward.

Take DocuSign as an example. As their operations expanded to support more than 500,000 active customers, DocuSign experienced IT bottlenecks as legacy systems slowed progress and led to costly backlogs. 

Using an integrated intelligent automation solution, DocuSign was able to provide instant IT support to over 89% of its employees. Now, the company automatically resolves over 200 account issues every month using AI technology alone.

With intelligent automation, your IT team can work smarter, not harder, while your business reaps the benefits of faster resolutions and improved employee satisfaction.

5. Govern software applications

Keeping your software applications running smoothly is critical for any business. 

However, as your business scales, monitoring a wide range of applications spread across scaling infrastructures is time-consuming, and can be prone to human error.

This is where intelligent automation steps in to simplify application governance. 

With AI-driven tools, you can automate key monitoring tasks, ensuring that your applications are performing at their best. These tools provide teams with actionable insights into application performance and employee usage patterns, helping your team make smarter, faster decisions.

For example, intelligent automation can:

• Automatically send reminders about upcoming application maintenance to ensure nothing falls through the cracks 
• Generate degradation reports to alert your team to potential issues before they disrupt operations

By leveraging intelligent automation for application governance, you can minimize the risk of outages, reduce downtime, and keep your business running smoothly — all while freeing up your team to focus on strategic projects instead of tedious monitoring tasks.

6. Monitor project progress

Project management (PM) teams have seen a lot of big changes over the last decade as more companies embrace digital transformation. In fact, over half of PM experts believe that AI will completely transform the profession over the next few years. 

While generative AI solutions like ChatGPT are already helping teams work faster and more efficiently, intelligent automation takes it a step further by significantly optimizing and reducing manual effort.

Imagine having an AI-driven enterprise search tool, that allows you and your team to quickly find project deadlines, upcoming assignments, or the necessary documentation to help move projects forward. No more wasting time digging through emails or folders. 

Intelligent automation solutions can also identify potential completion roadblocks and offer recommendations on how to avoid them. 

With these capabilities, project management becomes less about firefighting and more about strategic planning — helping your team stay on track and meet goals faster than ever.

7. Streamline the sales process

One area of business that can see a substantial ROI from AI is sales departments. In fact, according to HubSpot, 78% of sales professionals say that AI technology helps them spend more time closing new deals.

But the real game-changer comes when you pair AI with intelligent automation to remove the administrative load that slows sales teams down. 

Think about how much time your sales reps spend updating CRM platforms, logging activities, or managing and sales pipelines., 

These tasks are critical for maintaining accurate customer data, but they’re also time-consuming. With intelligent automation, you can take those responsibilities off their plates.

AI tools can automatically: 

• Capture and log relevant sales activities, like emails or calls
• Keep customer profiles up-to-date 
• Track the progress of deals and opportunities in real time.

By automating these workflows, your sales team can focus on what they do best: building relationships, engaging with customers, and closing more deals. 

The result? A more efficient process, happier sales reps, and a bigger impact on your bottom line.

8. Launch marketing campaigns

Running a successful marketing campaign means juggling a lot of moving parts — researching target markets, controlling advertising budgets, coordinating teams, and designing content. 

With so many tasks to handle,  efficiency is critical.

This is where AI-powered marketing automation shines. These tools simplify campaign management and take the stress out of the process. 

For example, AI-driven tools can: 

• Automatically send campaign launch notifications to internal stakeholders to keep everyone aligned 
• Request and track approvals to ensure nothing falls behind schedule
• Monitor and report key performance metrics in real time

Beyond managing the basics, intelligent automation can also quickly identify inefficiencies in your workflows. Imagine having an AI assistant analyze campaign data and provide real-time recommendations for improvement.

By streamlining these processes, your marketing teams can focus on creativity  strategy. The result? More impactful campaigns delivered with less hassle.

9. Support sales teams

Capitalizing on all available opportunities is essential for closing new sales. By leveraging intelligent automation for sales, your team can maximize efficiency and improve customer engagement.

Here’s how it can help you and your team:

AI tools analyze large amounts of data in real time, helping you predict customer behavior and tailor your outreach for maximum impact. This includes the optimization of sales quotes and proposals based on forecasted sales trends and pricing flexibility.

AI tools can also use the data collected from sales calls and email exchanges to score new leads, helping your sales team focus on the most promising opportunities — the ones most likely to close.

How AI is transforming business automation

Business automation isn't a new concept. It’s been around for years, increasing productivity and efficiency across industries. 

But earlier applications of AI technology focused primarily on automating repetitive processes using rule-based structures commonly found in RPA tools. 

Since then, generative AI tools like ChatGPT have expanded the possibilities of AI-enabled automation. They use natural language processing to understand the context and nuances of user requests and perform increasingly complicated tasks.

However, recent advancements, such as agentic AI, are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. 

Unlike traditional AI systems, agentic AI solutions can reason, set their own goals, and solve problems autonomously in real time — all with little to no human intervention.

These advancements are paving the way for a new era of automation, where businesses can achieve unprecedented: 

• Efficiency
• Flexibility
• Innovation

How to get started with AI automation

Getting started with AI automation requires a thoughtful approach and a solid strategy to ensure that you're investing in the right solutions that will drive real business value.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start strong:

1. Assess your most critical needs: What tasks are eating up your team’s time?

2. Explore your options: Research AI solutions, evaluate their capabilities, and read reviews to find the right fit.

3. Start small: Test your solution with a pilot program before rolling out AI automation across the company. This will help you work out any issues and streamline adoption.

4. Measure  results: Monitor performance to ensure you're getting the ROI you expect.

5. Iterate and expand: Use your results to refine your approach and scale up.

Have questions or need help? Schedule a free consultation. 

Learn how AI advancements expand the possibilities of automation

Investing in AI technology isn’t just a trend — it’s a strategic move that can transform your business. 

However, to unlock its full potential, it’s important to understand the difference between basic AI tools and cutting-edge AI-powered assistants that deliver real, impactful results.

Modern AI assistants are changing the way workplaces operate. These tools go beyond automating repetitive tasks.

They integrate seamlessly with your platforms, streamline workflows across departments, and provide real-time support that empowers your employees.

Ready to see how intelligent automation can boost productivity? Learn how some Moveworks customers are automatically resolving over 50% of IT issues.