How AI increases productivity (at work and at home)

9 ways AI increases productivity

1. Automating repetitive tasks

AI is great at automating tasks that are repetitive, take a lot of time or are prone to human error. Think about common business tasks like inputting data into a spreadsheet or answering basic customer service questions. AI can automate these repetitive tasks by learning from the past and using this data to replicate a human’s work. Take Intercom’s AI-powered chatbot, which can scan a company’s knowledge base articles and use conversation history to answer customer questions without involving a human.

2. Data analysis

AI can analyze large datasets in a fraction of the time it takes a human — with the added benefit that there’s (way) less room to mess the analysis up. According to a Brookings study, AI can hugely increase productivity by giving employees (who may not have the right skills) the information they need to work better at a task. 

Take a look at this example from Harvard Business Review: 
Source: Harvard Business Review

In this example, AI takes over the early work of data analysis, like gathering datasets and figuring out possible next steps. Then, this information is passed back to employees, where human judgment can use the AI-analyzed data to make an informed decision based on data rather than intuition or gut feel.

3. Improved meeting notes

Some AI tools have built-in natural language processing and machine learning (ML), allowing them to generate human-like notes from meetings. 

Think about a typical business meeting involving two (or more) people discussing various topics. In the past, it was up to you (with the help of a pen and paper) to jot down everything you talked about and summarize it at the end. 

With AI-based meeting tools, you don’t need to do any of that. These tools can transcribe meetings from a video or audio recording, and then combine the most important points in a document. Here’s an example from jamie, a tool that can be used to take over these tasks:

Not only does it summarize meeting notes, it also lists out any decisions made or tasks needed to do so that the user can immediately get to work ticking them off — not spend more time making more lists 👌

4. New and improved supply chains

More and more businesses are choosing to add AI into their supply chain processes to improve logistical and operational decisions and make better forecasts around their stock needs. 

Yes, the change has been slow. In 2023, only 12% of businesses were using AI to improve supply chains, but that number is predicted to grow to over 60% within the next six years. Adding AI to these supply chains improves how information flows to keep everything from transportation to shipping, warehouse costs and stock levels on the same page.

Think about when you order a shirt from your favorite clothing brand and it arrives at your door within a day or two. Delivery companies are using AI to improve this process. For example, DHL created its own algorithm called IDEA to solve its delivery bottlenecks. The algorithm uses 58 different data points to optimize picking routes for its drivers and combine orders and routes together for efficiency.

Source: DHL via SAP

The algorithm worked. Since its launch, DHL has cut the distance its delivery drivers travel by up to 50% and increased productivity by 30%.

5. Better (and quicker) workplace collaboration

Adding AI to tools we use daily in our jobs, like project management software or communication apps, is an ideal way to be more productive at work.  

Tools like ChatGPT can now generate text using a prompt you feed it to speed up every day tasks like sending an email or making an announcement to the rest of your team. Or, if you work with tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams, these now have built-in AI capabilities to instantly find past conversations or summarize chats to increase productivity. 

Take a look at this Slack chat. Thanks to AI, it now generates a daily recap of any messages missed so I can stay on top of important chats (without spending all day in Slack). 

Source: Slack

6. Automated inventory management

Imagine a world where managing stock inventory doesn’t involve hundreds of spreadsheets. 

This is now a reality for retailers using AI to level up the (often tedious) tasks of inventory management. Take stock management and reordering. AI-driven inventory management systems can now automatically reorder stock when levels get low and even generate forecasts based on seasonal patterns to help retailers react to customer demand. 

Walmart is an example of a retailer using AI to manage inventory and keep its shelves stocked. It feeds historical data into predictive analytics tools to make sure it has the right holiday items across distribution and fulfillment centers so stories never run out of stock. 

Meanwhile, B&M, one of the UK’s largest variety retailers, has a fixed product count of 12,000 products (SKUs). In the past, it relied on Microsoft Excel to try and manage them all, with merchandisers spending up to a day and a half every single week building reports to feed into their linecard spreadsheets. It switched to Peak’s AI-powered software to keep track of every SKU in its inventory and automate many of the more difficult, manual and time-consuming tasks around inventory management.

7. Product price optimization

Have you had an item sitting in an online shopping basket and while you are deciding whether to buy it or not, the price drops? 

This is most likely down to AI, which can now scour the web and make product price adjustments based on real-time customer demand. Traditionally, this information was handled manually, with retailers trying to keep up with adjustments on a spreadsheet. But AI has the ability to understand all of the factors that go into a product’s price, like inflation seasonality, promotions and product popularity, and change it in real-time. 

It’s not just retailers that can benefit from AI-powered pricing, either. Heidelberg Materials — one of the world’s largest integrated manufacturers of building materials and solutions — is leveraging Peak to revolutionize its approach to quote pricing, driving game-changing outcomes including a 2% conversation rate increase, 10,000+ hours saved annually and optimized margin. Take a look at our success story to learn more.

8. AI-powered calendars

Imagine having a personal assistant who always keeps your schedule in perfect order. That’s exactly what AI-powered calendars can do to improve productivity for those with a packed schedule. 

AI doesn’t just add meetings to your calendar or save space for your (sometimes) regular gym sessions. By suggesting the most efficient daily structure, it can analyze your habits and preferences to arrange appointments and tasks for better productivity. Clockwise, for example, uses AI prompts to schedule (and reschedule) meetings so you don’t have to spend hours emailing people to arrange meeting times.

Image source: Clockwise