| |April 20209ment. As much as it is an important investment to make, it is worthy to note that staying ahead of competi-tion is crucial too. This means that while determining whether to auto-mate, SMEs can take this opportu-nity to assess the overall operational efficiencies and how to achieve scal-able, end-to-end business process automation.It is therefore of paramount im-portance that SMEs act swiftly and invest in intelligent automation, a market that is expected to grow from $8 billion in 2019 to $14.4 billion by 2024. At the heart of this market is a type of deep automation that is powered by fractal science, which can efficiently work with more limited datasets and is easier to train. These converged solutions can harness the collective power of thousands of bots on their machines as opposed to just one.The way forward with Integrated Au-tomation PlatformCompanies need to first identify what processes requires automation, which employees need retraining or upskill-ing, and then decide what automa-tion platform they need to deploy in order to meet these needs. Once this has been ascertained, it should be easier to pinpoint which roles need retraining, and then they can prepare accordingly.Integrated automation platforms (IAP) built on fractal science technol-ogy will play a key role in cultivating the next generation of augmented workforce who is ready to evolve along with the cutting-edge technolo-gies to define the 21st century future of workplace. Automation solutions in use today are simply unsuitable for unstructured data, which will make up 80% of the world's data by 2025, and there isn't enough visibility and awareness over solutions that can address such data, like intelligent automation and IAP powered by fractal science. IAP will significantly reduce the level of human intervention required in traditionally manual tasks and will help businesses in their journey towards digital trans-formation. Business processes should be looked at as end-to-end and not as a single business process. A multiten-ancy solution that allows for maxi-mum bot utilization, understands all types of data, and provides businesses with a one-stop solution for data cu-ration will thrive in an AI-enabled smart digital workforce.The critical role of HR in automating the workforceThe role of HR is will evolve in the next few years, and it is crucial to make sure that employees are being retrained sufficiently. As per a 2019 Deloitte report on "Global Human Capital Trends", only 17% of re-spondents believed that they are ready to manage a workforce of humans, robots and AI working side by side. This shows the instrumental role of HR in a company's automation strat-egy by helping employees with the right set of data and tools to make them more effective.This will shape how workers view their employers for years to come. A culture of positivity and upskill-ing will benefit organizations greatly where employees view AI as a posi-tive force that will aid in their jobs. Whilst this could be deemed as an up-hill task, having an open and transpar-ent dialogue with employees about work automation will engender their trust and buy-in for any changes that may affect how they work. Don't just upskill, reskill.AI will have an impact on jobs across a variety of industries and com-panies will need to give workers the opportunity to not just to upskill, but also to reskill, so that they can un-dertake higher value roles, as well as taking on entirely new jobs. Adding value is one of the most important things for the modern worker, with employees three times more likely to work for a company that gives them purpose. This process begins by setting clear expectations of what this reskilling will entail and being transparent about how it will affect employees' working lives. AI will have an impact on jobs across a variety of industries and companies will need to give workers the opportunity to not just to upskill, but also to reskillAsheesh Mehra
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