We encounter them everywhere, AI assistants. In smartphones, in customer chats, in the news, and even in healthcare. AI assistants are here to stay and are becoming increasingly integrated into our jobs.

AI and IA - Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Automation - have rapidly brought a multitude of new AI tools, robots, systems, and companies. All with incredible possibilities to help people free up time for more important matters, become more efficient, have more fun, and feel better.

In this article, we clarify the concepts of what an AI assistant is, what they can be used for, and provide a glimpse into the future.

What is an AI assistent?

Personal, digital, or virtual? Assistants, agents, chatbots, or robots? Beloved children have many names where 'digital assistant' is a common term, but where 'AI assistant' is starting to establish itself as the most common term. The English term 'AI Assistant' is also frequently used in Swedish.

'AI-assistent' or 'AI Assistant' describes AI as a function that performs tasks according to instructions or job descriptions.

A software built on multiple technologies

An AI assistant is essentially a software, or software robot, built on multiple technologies that enable us to teach an assistant to mimic human behavior.

In a workplace, it can then function as a digital colleague or employee that performs a variety of tasks it has been programmed to do.

This can include tasks such as invoicing, scheduling, booking meetings, order management, account creation, sending and receiving emails, and interacting with customers. (See below for more concrete examples).

By learning from each interaction, the AI assistant can continuously improve its ability to solve problems and provide more accurate answers or analyses

How do AI assistants work?

Just like humans, AI assistants work on a computer. It can be a physical machine but is usually virtual, where the assistant has its own permissions and logins to the systems it needs to work in. Additionally, it can work in any system that a human can work in, with no limitations. It learns how to use each system correctly, regardless of whether it's old or modern.

Use cases for AI assistants

AI assistants are used in a variety of industries and contexts. Here are some of the use cases:

Personal Assistants

AI assistants like Siri from Apple, ChatGPT, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa have become a part of many people's daily lives. They can answer questions, provide weather forecasts, play music, set reminders, and more.

Customer Service

Many companies use AI assistants to improve the quality of customer service and relieve their customer service staff. These assistants can answer common questions and guide users through issues. Today's chatbots are so advanced that they cannot be distinguished from a human customer service agent.

Healthcare

AI assistants can be used to monitor patients' health, provide rehabilitation instructions, handle discharges, offer medical advice, and assist with medical documentation. Swedish television has reported on this, see two examples here:

New Projects in Healthcare (SVT)

AI Assists Patients (SVT)

E-commerce and Retail

E-commerce platforms and stores use AI assistants to recommend products to customers, answer questions, create product descriptions or images, manage customer orders, and handle inventory and shrinkage."

See examples of the latter here from Daglivarunytt

Business Administration

AI assistants are used to automate tasks such as meeting scheduling and sales presentations, as well as email management and calendar updates.

Finance and Accounting

In finance and accounting, AI has proven to be very useful in many ways. Read more in an article here

The Technology Behind AI Assistants

The technology powering AI assistants is complex and involves several different techniques and methods. Here are some key components:

Machine Learning

Machine Learning (also known as ML) is one of the most widely used techniques in AI. Machine learning involves training computers to learn from data and make predictions or decisions without being explicitly programmed for each individual scenario. Common ML techniques include decision trees, neural networks, and support vector machines.

Deep Learning

Deep Learning is a subfield of machine learning that focuses on neural networks with multiple layers (deep networks). This technique is often used to process and analyze data such as images, audio, and text.

Natural Language Processing

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a branch of AI that deals with understanding and generating human language. It is used to build chatbots, translation tools, sentiment analysis, and more.

Large Language Models

Large Language Models are advanced computer programs trained on massive amounts of text data to understand and generate human language. These models, such as ChatGPT-3 from OpenAI, are powerful tools for improving and automating text-related tasks. Read more about ChatGPT in an article here.

Generative AI

Generative AI is used to generate new data that resembles human-created examples. This includes text generation, image generation, and more.

Automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology that enables organizations to automate their routine, time-consuming, and repetitive processes by integrating with various types of applications, systems, and data. Integrations work whether the systems are in the cloud or locally installed. Read more about RPA here.

These are some examples of the many techniques used in AI. The choice of technique depends on the problem to be solved and the available data.

The AI landscape is evolving rapidly, with new techniques and approaches emerging regularly."

How do AI assistants impact society?

AI assistants have a significant impact on society, both in terms of opportunities and challenges. They affect the job market, compliance, skills, productivity, security, accessibility, and ethics, among other aspects. You can explore this topic further in a blog article here.

Changing how we perform tasks

AI assistants are an exciting and rapidly evolving technology that has changed how we interact with technology and perform tasks. With ongoing advancements in AI, Robotic Process Automation, and machine learning, it is likely that we will see even more advanced and useful AI assistants in the future, which will continue to impact society and our lives in various ways.

What can an AI assistant work on specifically?

The possibilities are virtually limitless for what AI assistants can do. They are also continuously evolving and adapting to specific user needs and industry requirements. Below is a list of common tasks they can handle.

• Answering common questions and solving problems: Through customer chat, email, or other communication channels.
• Data analysis and reporting: Analyzing large datasets and generating detailed reports to identify trends and insights.
• Time and calendar planning: Scheduling meetings, creating reminders, and managing calendars.
• Text analysis and translation: Analyzing and translating text between different languages.
• Email management: Organizing and prioritizing email messages, responding to common questions, sending emails, and flagging important messages.
• Financial planning and accounting: Creating budgets, tracking expenses, and generating financial reports.
• Search and information management: Searching for information online and in databases and summarizing it, such as internal HR information, sales procedures, customer information, policy documents, and more.
• Document management: Creating and editing documents, formatting text, and organizing files and folders.
• Security and monitoring: Monitoring networks and systems for security incidents, identifying threats, and taking actions to protect company data.
• Voice and text recognition: Transcribing speech to text and vice versa, useful for meeting notes, dictation, and voice commands.
• Predictive analysis and forecasting: Predicting future events based on historical data and patterns.
• Invoice management: Extracting information from invoices, matching them with purchase orders and payments, dual-checking, and automating the invoice processing process.
• HR and recruitment support: Reviewing resumes and job applications to identify qualified candidates and scheduling interviews.
• Customer data entry: Verifying and validating data entered by customers and suggesting corrections if anything is incorrect.
• Social media management: Scheduling posts, monitoring comments, and analyzing performance on social media platforms.
• Medical diagnosis support: Analyzing medical data and patient records to assist doctors in the diagnosis process.
• Inventory and stock management: Monitoring inventory levels, generating orders when needed, tracking product lifecycles, and managing inventory loss.
• E-commerce customer support: Responding to customer inquiries about products, deliveries, and returns on e-commerce websites.
• IT support and issue identification: Assisting users with technical problems by identifying issues and suggesting solutions.
• Text-based games and interactions: Creating dialogues and responses based on user interactions within the entertainment industry.
• Restaurant and food orders: Receiving and managing orders, confirming delivery details, and tracking food deliveries.
• Translation and interpretation: Translating text and speech between different languages and serving as a real-time interpreter.
• Legal document review: Reviewing large volumes of legal documents to identify relevant details and discrepancies.
• Sales: Prospecting and generating customer leads and scheduling customer meetings.
• Marketing: Creating tailored offers and campaigns, advertising, generating content such as texts and images, and conducting A/B testing.
• Email and automation: Creating and sending personalized email messages to target audiences based on their behavior and preferences.
• Transportation and logistics planning: Optimizing routes, managing fleets, and planning deliveries efficiently in the transportation sector.
• Network monitoring and security measures: Monitoring network traffic, detecting malicious activity, and taking proactive measures to prevent security incidents.
• Music and video editing: Editing and enhancing audio and video materials.
  Tutoring and education: Providing user guides, answering user questions, and conducting online training.
• Environmental monitoring: Monitoring and compiling data on environmental parameters such as air quality and water quality.
• Consumer insights and market analysis: Analyzing consumer behavior and market data to help companies make informed decisions.
• Advanced medical diagnosis and treatment recommendations: Assisting doctors in diagnosing and suggesting treatment options.
• Research and scientific discovery: Analyzing research data and identifying patterns and findings in science and research.
• Personalized training and coaching: Customizing educational materials and providing personal coaching based on user goals and abilities.
• Creative content creation: Creating art, music, poetry, and other creative works.
• Advanced security analysis and cybersecurity: Identifying security threats, analyzing malicious code, and preventing cyberattacks.
• Autonomous vehicles and transportation: Controlling autonomous vehicles and optimizing traffic flows to improve traffic safety and reduce congestion.
• Legal advice and legal work: Providing answers to legal questions, creating legal documents, and offering advice on legislative issues.
• Environmental monitoring and climate modeling: Monitoring and collecting data on environmental parameters, analyzing climate data, and predicting climate changes.
• Financial, administrative, and economic tasks. Learn more in the in-depth article here

What should an AI assistant not do?

Although the possibilities are indeed limitless, there are things that we humans should make sure to keep AI assistants away from, such as:

• Replacing personnel
• Making decisions on their own without control
• Working without guidance and supervision
• Physical and human interaction"

AI and the future?

The only thing we can be sure of is that technology and thus AI assistants will become more numerous and increasingly advanced. Here are some examples of more advanced tasks that AI assistants have already begun to perform and are likely to do more of in the future:

• Even more advanced medical diagnosis and treatment recommendations: AI assistants in medicine and healthcare can become even better at analyzing medical data, interpreting advanced imaging studies, and providing more precise treatment recommendations. They can also help identify rare diseases and assist surgeons during complex surgeries.
• Research and scientific discovery: AI assistants will be able to expedite research processes by analyzing and synthesizing data from various disciplines. They can assist in discovering new drugs, predicting natural disasters, and contributing to solving complex scientific problems.
• Education and coaching: Future AI assistants will be able to customize education and coaching programs on an individual level. They will monitor and evaluate students' progress, adapt learning materials, and provide personal feedback.
• Creative content creation: AI assistants will be capable of generating high-quality and creative content, including writing, painting, music composition, and video editing. They will likely collaborate even more with humans to produce artworks and creative materials.
• Advanced security analysis and cybersecurity: In cybersecurity, AI assistants will likely play an even more critical role in identifying and preventing advanced threats and attacks. They can monitor networks in real-time, detect vulnerabilities, and take proactive measures to protect businesses and organizations.
• Autonomous vehicles and transportation: In the automotive industry, AI assistants will be used to create advanced self-driving vehicle systems. They will be able to manage complex traffic situations, optimize fuel consumption, and enhance traffic safety.
• Space exploration: In space research, AI assistants will be able to assist with navigation, data collection, and the analysis of information from space. They can also support advances in the exploration of other planets."

Please note that some of these future advancements in AI assistant capabilities are speculative and subject to ongoing technological developments.

With increasing amounts of data and improved machine learning techniques, we have only just scratched the surface of what these assistants can achieve.

Zimply offers AI assistant rental in a unique package solution where everything is included

The possibilities with AI assistants are, as mentioned, endless, and the technology is complex. Many find it difficult to know how to go about getting started and having their own AI assistant as support.

Zimply makes it easy for businesses and organizations to get a customized AI assistant. At Zimply, you can rent or hire an AI assistant at a fixed monthly price, including everything from needs analysis to training.

Do you want to know more about how you and your organization can use AI? Contact us or book a meeting.

Contact Zimply today