8: Expert Views from Automation’s Front Lines

 In this episode of the ISG Smartalks™ podcast, we look back at ISG’s Automation Summit London (11-12 September). 

Barry Matthews catches up with four leading automation experts at the conference to find out their thoughts on the current state of technology and how they see automation impacting business over the next decade. Barry speaks with Professor Leslie Willcocks of the London School of Economics, who has co-authored 65 books on automation.

 Willcocks believes we’ll see exponential growth in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic process automation (RPA) businesses, leading to mergers and consolidations in the sector. He dismisses the idea that RPA will merely patch up the old world of business tech and instead sees it as foundational for a new way of doing business, allowing enterprises that focus on technological convergence to separate themselves from their competitors.   

Next, Barry finds Craig Jones, Partner – Advisor Relations, of Wipro with whom he explores how RPA has become more strategic and transformative. Jones predicts we will see more businesses move to cognitive AI in the next ten years, believing it will lead to huge efficiencies, but only if businesses have the right data and the right structure in place.   

When Barry sits down with Sajesh Gopinath, General Manager, of UST Global they discuss how businesses are evolving in their relationships with automation – moving from proofs of concept to demanding clear results on what the technology can deliver. Gopinath believes those enterprises that have automated systems to orchestrate processes and information across the enterprise will become market leaders. 

  Finally, Barry tracks down Serkan Ibrahim, Sales Director, of IPSoft who predicts a convergence of capabilities and vendors in the automation market over the next ten years. Despite some disappointment in RPA, Ibrahim still sees it as the best gateway to digital transformation – and believes we’re only just starting to see its true capabilities. Tune in to hear an honest conversation with four of the field’s experts about automation, cryptocurrencies and the power of change in the market today.