Why AI-powered IoT Systems Will Redefine The Future Workplaces

by Divyang Metaliya, Guest Contributor

​AI and IoT are quintessential pursuits for the businesses’ development and today, we will explore their horizons at your offices. Since the last one and a half centuries, the environment at work has changed in terms of the skill sets, processes, and management methods. The only concern for the businesses is the mounting tech debt. Our workplaces are filled with overloaded managers and inefficient utilization of resources.
​

---

---

In this article, we will understand the scope and applications of the AI-powered IoT systems in terms of scalability, flexibility, and utility. In working environments, simplifying processes and decision-making are two major areas for these solutions since they revolve around cost optimization. I will focus on the tangible effects of implementing these advanced technologies in the formal working environments. 

Buckle up to know more about the topic.

AI-Enabled Personal Assistants

Previously, only the top-level C-suite managers had the privilege to get themselves a personal assistant. But, the AI-enabled personal assistants will make this facility available to front line managers and even executives. It can understand the competence level of the concerned employee and help in the process of creating work schedules. The bots will also look after the other employees of the department for ensuring the completion of allocated tasks on time. Any deviation from the project planning is noticed instantly. Data visualization, sharing updates, and clerical formalities are also assisted by AI bots.

Market Insight: The AI market grew by 154% in 2019. (source: Statista)

IoT For Office Automation
Our offices will radically transform in the IoT era. Particularly, we can enhance the utilization of working spaces. Connecting the appliances with staff’s smartphones help save electricity and improve the user experience. For instance, the air conditioners will automatically start upon the employee entering the office premises and dustbins notify us to empty trash. The illumination, utility management, and even appliances will fine-tune to the staff preferences. For manufacturing facilities, this translates to interfacing all machinery, supply chain, and inventory control solutions to form a smart ecosystem. 

Subsequently, tools and equipment will have user-preferences pre-installed in case of replacements and also collect data regarding usage. For staff members, this results in lesser paperwork and accurate resource allocation.

Integrating Enterprise Tools With Smartphones
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is fast gaining acceptance as it cuts down infrastructure costs and employees too, find it more suitable. Especially integrating enterprise tools with smartphones is essential to increase the ease of working. With mobile integration, employees will plan their day while commuting or submit reports without bothering to access system data at workplaces. AI-powered payroll software applications can play a huge role in simplifying the process of understanding data. Work efficiency, time management, flaws in operational procedures are reflected on the user dashboard in such solutions. By 2023, Ericsson estimates that 3.5 billion cellular devices connected with IoT connections.

Smart Tools For Collaboration
Can you imagine working in a factory that has its machines integrated with cloud monitoring systems and employee smartphones? This is the future of the production industry where depleting levels of coolants trigger alarms on the maintenance team’s mobiles. The same development is notified to the accountants and PPC team. You can rev up the collaboration of interdisciplinary teams by converting the data in consumable forms. You can take the collaborative approach to the next level by connecting BI tools with equipment. Speaking globally, we can expect the IoT market to hit the 15 trillion dollar mark by the year 2025.

Interfacing IoT And AI For Cost Management
Shortcomings on the part of management are eliminated as AI solutions control all IoT applications. Smart tools will automatically control utility usages and the employers can also bridge the trust deficit between employees. The need for human resources for administrative and monitoring activities will be reduced. Consider the example of the transport industry. The IoT-based truck fleets can save thousands of dollars every year with small improvements. The tyre pressure monitoring alone can help save considerable amounts as longer tours don’t give drivers enough time for checking. Any mechanical problem is reported to the next halting location for the mechanics to look after. Such measures safeguard against losses and reduce the related overheads. 

Together, IoT and AI will marginalize human efforts in most spheres of value-information exchange.A study finds that 61% of surveyed executives say that AI has contributed to identifying new opportunities in data. 

Impact On The Workforce
As far as I think, AI or IoT won’t cut down the job market. Socrates thought that writing down the teachings will dilute the purpose. People today say the same thing about the digital modes of information exchange. In the same way, I feel that both of these technologies will create newer opportunities for development, engineering, and implementation profiles. Also, the operations and maintenance of new tools will provide abundant opportunities in the days to come. 

Some of the major changes would include:

• The labour intensive work profiles will turn into automation-assisted ones.
• Administrative work will convert into data analysis-oriented profiles.
• The managerial tasks will be limited to decision-making with all repetitive tasks transferred to AI assistants.
• Resource utilization and management will witness higher efficiencies since operational flaws are minimized.
• More employees shall use BI tools and almost everyone will contribute to the decentralized generation of BI data.
• Together they will improvise exchanging information and collaboration with the help of data interoperability.
• The world has 26.66 billion IoT devices operative in workplaces. With the increase in this number, the industrial process will divulge new disciplines.

Summing Up
We can imagine the next generation offices like the mansions in Home Alone 4. The staff members shall focus more on the core functions of their profile. The data-driven decision making will also take over the speculative and experience-based approaches to management. However, the biggest change made by these technologies in the working environment will be on a functional level. Pushing intelligence towards the edge results in self-sustaining operations with a minimum requirement of human intervention. All in all, using AI and IoT in future workplaces will bring cost-effectiveness and convenience at the same time. 

About the author:

Divyang Metaliya is a Business Consultant at FactoHR, an India based HR and Payroll Software solution provider. He is a creative business strategist with more than 8 years of experience.

---