News/Operations
6 ways AI is transforming accounts payable operations in 2025
AI is revolutionizing accounts payable operations with substantial impacts on efficiency, accuracy, and cost reduction. Forrester Research's latest report highlights six key areas where AI technologies are delivering significant value for financial operations in 2025, from transforming invoice processing to enhancing compliance management. These advancements represent a fundamental shift in how finance departments operate, offering unprecedented opportunities for organizations to optimize their AP functions. 1. Invoice Data Capture AI-driven solutions are outperforming traditional optical character recognition (OCR) technologies with significantly improved accuracy. Companies including Billerud and Adyen have achieved notable cost reductions by implementing AI for invoice data extraction and...
read Mar 14, 2025SoftBank to build $677 million AI data center with OpenAI for Japanese market
SoftBank's plan to transform a former Sharp LCD plant into a massive AI data center marks a significant step in Japan's AI infrastructure development. The $677 million acquisition of the Osaka facility represents a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to commercialize AI agents specifically for the Japanese market, potentially triggering a new wave of localized AI deployment and customization in Asia's advanced economies. The big picture: SoftBank intends to convert Sharp's closed TV LCD factory in Osaka into one of Japan's largest data centers through a ¥100 billion ($677 million) investment, according to a Nikkei report. The facility will power AI...
read Mar 14, 2025Putting the AI in Wait Staff: How robots help restaurants restore service amid labor shortages
The hospitality industry is undergoing a significant transformation as robotics technology begins filling crucial service gaps exacerbated by post-pandemic labor shortages. Companies like Richtech Robotics are deploying AI-powered solutions that handle repetitive tasks traditionally performed by humans, potentially enabling a return to more personalized customer experiences by freeing staff from mundane duties. This shift represents not just an operational evolution but a reimagining of how technology and human service can complement each other in creating memorable dining experiences. The big picture: Restaurants are increasingly turning to robotics to address persistent staffing challenges while potentially improving the overall customer experience. The...
read Mar 14, 2025Total HR: How AI is transforming recruitment, employee compensation, and more
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming human resources departments, with AI applications becoming increasingly sophisticated in automating repetitive tasks and enhancing strategic decision-making. According to new research from The Josh Bersin Company, organizations are leveraging AI across recruiting, HR administration, and employee support functions, allowing HR professionals to focus more on strategic initiatives while improving efficiency and employee experience. This shift represents the next phase of digital transformation in the workplace, with potential to redefine how HR departments operate. The big picture: HR departments are implementing AI solutions most extensively in recruiting processes, where the technology demonstrates its most mature applications....
read Mar 14, 2025SaferAI’s framework brings structured risk management to frontier AI development
A comprehensive risk management framework for frontier AI systems bridges traditional risk management practices with emerging AI safety needs. SaferAI's proposed framework offers important advances over existing approaches by implementing structured processes for identifying, monitoring, and mitigating AI risks before deployment. This methodology represents a significant step toward establishing more robust governance for advanced AI systems while maintaining innovation pace. The big picture: SaferAI's proposed frontier AI risk management framework adapts established risk management practices from other industries to the unique challenges of developing advanced AI systems. The framework emphasizes conducting thorough risk management before the final training run begins,...
read Mar 13, 2025Databricks scientist: Companies finding AI value through experimentation, not buzzwords
Databricks's chief AI scientist reveals that companies are still learning through experimentation where artificial intelligence can most effectively solve business problems, beyond the hype of buzzwords like "agentic AI." This trial-and-error approach highlights a practical shift in enterprise AI adoption, as organizations seek to identify the specific applications where AI delivers meaningful value rather than pursuing trendy concepts. The big picture: Generative AI is enabling a new form of enterprise analytics by making previously unusable unstructured data valuable for business insights. Data that was once considered "useless" in traditional analytics frameworks—like Word documents, images, and videos—has become "incredibly valuable" with...
read Mar 13, 2025Smarter Brands AI partners with Omniverse City to make AI chatbots affordable for small businesses
Smarter Brands AI and Omniverse City are partnering to make conversational chatbots more accessible to small businesses by integrating AI agents into a digital world platform. This collaboration aims to democratize access to AI technology by reducing cost barriers for custom chatbots that can automate customer service and front-end management tasks. The partnership represents a significant step toward bringing enterprise-level AI capabilities to smaller organizations while maintaining the human workforce's role in creative and strategic functions. The big picture: Smarter Brands AI's conversational chatbots will now be available on Omniverse City, a digital world platform designed for virtual work and...
read Mar 13, 2025ServiceNow expands AI agent capabilities with Moveworks acquisition and new enterprise tools
Move it or lose it! Moveworks, that is... ServiceNow is aggressively expanding its AI agent capabilities through strategic acquisitions and platform enhancements to deliver more value across enterprise operations. By acquiring Moveworks and introducing specialized agents for security, change management, and network operations, the company aims to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks. This expansion reflects ServiceNow's vision that AI agents are becoming essential infrastructure components for modern businesses rather than just optional tools. The big picture: ServiceNow announced the acquisition of Moveworks alongside new agent capabilities and the general availability of its orchestration platform, signaling deeper investment in its...
read Mar 13, 2025AI automates up to 40% of customer support today, 80% by 2029
AI is transforming customer support operations at an unprecedented pace, with major platforms like Zendesk, Dialpad, and Talkdesk incorporating AI capabilities as core features. The impact is already substantial, with some companies reporting 20-30% reductions in human support staff. Understanding the trajectory and limitations of AI in customer support is crucial for businesses planning their long-term customer service strategies and technology investments. The big picture: Gartner predicts AI will autonomously handle 80% of customer support issues and reduce support costs by 30% by 2029, signaling a fundamental shift in how businesses approach customer service. What industry leaders claim: Salesforce reports...
read Mar 12, 2025Yo Quiero Taco Bell AI: Fast food icon embraces agentic automation
Agentic AI is moving from theoretical applications to real-world implementation in the fast food industry as YUM Brands unveils virtual management technology for Taco Bell restaurants. This significant development represents the next evolution of AI beyond generative chatbots, creating systems capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks with minimal human intervention. As a trillion-dollar industry driven by technological innovation, fast food is becoming a proving ground for AI that can make decisions, manage operations, and potentially reshape how restaurants function. The big picture: YUM Brands is deploying agentic AI restaurant managers across its Taco Bell franchise through its Byte By Yum...
read Mar 12, 2025AI transforms B2B order processing from hours to minutes amid workforce shortages
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing B2B order processing by dramatically reducing the time and effort required to handle sales transactions. As workforce shortages plague businesses and customer expectations for faster service grow, AI-powered automation offers a compelling solution by transforming hours-long manual processes into minutes-long automated ones. This shift enables sales representatives to focus on relationship building with customers rather than wrestling with data entry and product lookups, ultimately improving both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. The big picture: B2B organizations facing an aging, shrinking workforce are struggling to meet customer demands for faster fulfillment and multi-channel access while manual order...
read Mar 12, 2025Zoho launches AI-powered Projects Plus as users flee Microsoft and JIRA
Zoho's new Projects Plus platform unifies project management capabilities by integrating four of its existing applications under a single AI-powered umbrella. This consolidation represents a strategic response to growing customer demand, evidenced by Zoho Projects' 20% revenue growth in 2024 and a threefold increase in users migrating from competitors like Microsoft Projects and JIRA. The platform aims to give mid-sized and enterprise organizations a comprehensive solution that leverages AI for improved efficiency and data-driven decision-making. The big picture: Zoho has created an integrated project management ecosystem that combines Projects, WorkDrive, Analytics, and Sprints applications into a unified platform enhanced by...
read Mar 11, 2025Prepare for auto-onboarding and more as IT departments become HR teams for enterprise AI
Agentic AI is transforming enterprise systems by evolving from simple assistants to becoming the foundation of microservices architecture. This shift is creating a new paradigm where IT departments will function like HR teams for AI agents—recruiting, onboarding, and managing these digital workers alongside human employees. This development represents a fundamental restructuring of how enterprises approach problem-solving and workflow management. The big picture: AI agents are becoming the power behind enterprise microservices, functioning as independent components that can be assembled into complex workflows rather than existing as monolithic applications. "Agentic AI is the next step in breaking apart and solving problems,"...
read Mar 10, 2025AI is reshaping e-commerce shipping with predictive logistics solutions
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing e-commerce logistics by addressing critical shipping disruptions that plague retailers in today's complex supply chains. As customer expectations for delivery speed and reliability continue to rise, AI-powered tools are becoming essential for predicting problems, optimizing routes, and maintaining customer satisfaction. These technological advances are transforming what was once a reactive industry into one that can anticipate and prevent logistics challenges before they impact the consumer experience. The big picture: Major retailers are leveraging AI-driven systems to maintain competitive advantages in logistics and minimize shipping disruptions. Walmart utilizes Pactum, an AI-powered system that automates supplier negotiations, streamlining...
read Mar 10, 2025Let’s go, escrow! How AI cut real estate response times from hours to seconds at GG Homes
AI and automation have created a significant competitive advantage for GG Homes in a traditional industry by transforming every stage of their real estate sales process. The company's approach demonstrates how AI can enhance efficiency while simultaneously creating more personal customer experiences—showing that technology adoption in sales environments can produce measurable business outcomes beyond just cost reduction. The big picture: GG Homes has built an automated workflow that connects multiple technologies to streamline customer communications, document processing, and transaction management from initial contact through closing. Their AI-enhanced system responds to initial customer inquiries within seconds, qualifying leads and scheduling appointments...
read Mar 7, 2025Huawei unveils AI-powered campus network solution for smarter enterprise connectivity
Huawei's latest campus network solution integrates AI to transform enterprise connectivity at a pivotal moment when AI-powered infrastructure is becoming essential for business operations. The Xinghe Intelligent Campus Solution represents a comprehensive upgrade focused on enhancing wireless capabilities, application performance, operational efficiency, and security measures – all designed to provide superior user experiences as organizations transition to AI-centric environments. The big picture: Huawei has unveiled its fully-upgraded Xinghe Intelligent Campus Solution at MWC 2025, focusing on four critical experience enhancements powered by AI integration. The solution aims to create future-proof campus networks optimized for the AI era with improvements to...
read Mar 6, 2025Tech Mahindra unveils AI model for autonomous telecom networks using Llama 3.1
Tech Mahindra's new AI model for network automation represents a significant milestone in telecom infrastructure management, combining Meta's Llama 3.1 architecture with Nvidia and AWS capabilities. This development arrives as telecommunications companies increasingly seek autonomous solutions to manage their complex network operations, marking a shift from traditional manual oversight to AI-driven systems capable of handling both structured and unstructured network data. The big picture: Tech Mahindra has unveiled a Multi-Modal Network Operations Large Language Model that aims to transform traditional telecom networks into fully autonomous systems. The model leverages Meta's Llama 3.1 8b Instruct architecture, running on Nvidia AI Enterprise...
read Mar 6, 2025EXL’s agentic AI platform provides conductor for multi-agent orchestra
EXL's agentic AI platform addresses the widespread enterprise challenge of AI integration by orchestrating multiple AI agents within business operations. This approach tackles core implementation hurdles—including excessive data requirements, customization needs, lack of expertise, and cost concerns—by creating an orchestration layer that seamlessly connects specialized AI systems within existing workflows. As organizations struggle to translate AI's theoretical potential into practical applications, EXL's framework demonstrates how orchestrated AI systems can deliver measurable business value through efficiency, accuracy and compliance. The big picture: EXL has launched EXLerate.AI, an agentic AI platform designed to help enterprises integrate AI into their workflows for tangible...
read Mar 6, 2025How Benchmark Mortgage uses Zapier to automate lending workflows
The integration of automation technology into mortgage operations demonstrates how financial institutions can enhance efficiency and client service in an increasingly competitive market. Benchmark Mortgage's implementation of Zapier represents a significant case study in how workflow automation can transform traditional lending processes, addressing common industry pain points like document management and client communication. The big picture: Benchmark Mortgage has leveraged Zapier's automation platform to streamline operations and improve client experiences in the mortgage lending process. Key details: The mortgage lender implemented automated workflows to reduce manual tasks and create more efficient processing systems. Automation technology helps Benchmark handle document management,...
read Mar 4, 2025Jio, AMD, Cisco & Nokia unveil Open Telecom AI Platform for smarter, safer networks
A groundbreaking partnership between tech giants Jio Platforms, AMD, Cisco, and Nokia aims to revolutionize telecom networks through a new Open Telecom AI Platform. Announced at Mobile World Congress 2025, this initiative represents a significant shift in how artificial intelligence and automation are integrated into telecommunications infrastructure, potentially reshaping how service providers manage and optimize their networks. The big picture: The Open Telecom AI Platform will create a central intelligence layer for telecom services, integrating AI and automation across all network operations. The platform is designed to be model-agnostic, supporting multiple AI types including large language models (LLMs) and domain-specific...
read Mar 4, 2025Salesforce pursues ambitious AI automation with its pulse on healthcare
Salesforce's entry into enterprise AI automation signals a significant shift in how businesses approach workplace productivity. By launching AgentExchange, a marketplace hosting over 200 partners including Google Cloud and DocuSign, the company is positioning itself to capture a slice of what it projects as a $6 trillion "digital labor" market. This move represents one of Silicon Valley's boldest attempts to transform how businesses handle routine tasks, with a particular focus on healthcare administration. The big picture: Salesforce is creating the first trusted marketplace for enterprise AI agents, moving beyond simple text generation to enable autonomous task completion within business systems....
read Mar 4, 2025Trellis launches AI platform that turns complex documents into structured data
In practical, brass tacks AI news, Trellis introduces an AI-powered document processing platform that transforms complex PDFs and calls into structured data, addressing a crucial pain point for operations and engineering teams. The platform's combination of advanced OCR capabilities, customizable workflows, and enterprise-grade security features positions it as a solution for organizations seeking to automate document-heavy processes while maintaining data accuracy and compliance. Key capabilities: Trellis's platform centers on automated PDF processing and data extraction through advanced OCR technology. The system can accurately capture and convert text, tables, and handwritten content from documents into usable data. Custom validation rules and...
read Feb 28, 2025Salesforce goes zero tolerance on engineer hires while boosting sales team by 20% due to AI
Engineers, down. Salesfolk, up. Salesforce's dramatic shift in workforce strategy reflects a pivotal moment in enterprise AI adoption, as CEO Marc Benioff announces plans to completely halt engineering hiring while aggressively expanding sales operations. This strategic pivot, aimed at dominating what Benioff calls the "Digital Labor Revolution," represents an unprecedented bet on AI's ability to boost engineering productivity while doubling down on human-driven sales efforts to capture the enterprise AI market. The big picture: Salesforce plans zero engineering hires in 2025 while expanding its sales force by 20%, marking a stark departure from traditional tech company growth strategies. Key details:...
read Feb 27, 2025Salesforce stock drops as AI monetization concerns hit forecast, rival Snowflake benefits
The cloud computing industry has seen massive investments in artificial intelligence capabilities over the past two years, with major players racing to monetize their AI offerings. Salesforce, a leading enterprise cloud company, is facing investor scrutiny over its AI strategy after releasing disappointing revenue forecasts. Market reaction: Salesforce shares dropped over 4% following the company's weak annual revenue and profit forecast, potentially erasing $12 billion in market value. The company's stock decline reflects growing investor concern about the timeline for realizing returns on significant AI investments Salesforce's forward price-to-earnings ratio of 27.07 remains significantly lower than competitors like Snowflake (162.52)...
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