The rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLM), has the potential to revolutionize the way we work and interact with digital systems across various industries. However, the current state of software automation, such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) frameworks, often requires domain expertise and lacks visibility and intuitive interfaces, making it challenging for users to fully leverage these technologies. This position paper argues for the emerging area of Human-Centered Automation (HCA), which prioritizes user needs and preferences in the design and development of automation systems. Drawing on empirical evidence from human-computer interaction research and case studies, we highlight the importance of considering user perspectives in automation and propose a framework for designing human-centric automation solutions. The paper discusses the limitations of existing automation approaches, the challenges in integrating AI and RPA, and the benefits of human-centered automation for productivity, innovation, and democratizing access to these technologies. We emphasize the importance of open-source solutions and provide examples of how HCA can empower individuals and organizations in the era of rapidly progressing AI, helping them remain competitive. The paper also explores pathways to achieve more advanced and context-aware automation solutions. We conclude with a call to action for researchers and practitioners to focus on developing automation technologies that adapt to user needs, provide intuitive interfaces, and leverage the capabilities of high-end AI to create a more accessible and user-friendly future of automation.

Businesses of all sizes are bracing for a recession. Still, while it may sound counterintuitive, this is actually the right time to accelerate digital transformation. Historically, an economic downturn is a boon for innovation. According to Morgan Stanley, roughly half of Fortune 500 companies were founded in times of recession or economic crisis. Investing in digital transformation will help businesses overcome a slowdown and address talent shortages.

The department "Robot and Assistive Systems" is concerned with the development of robot systems and automation solutions for industry and also for the services sector. The department develops and implements key technologies in innovative industrial robots, service robots and intelligent machines. Do you already use robot systems or do you plan to start using them in the future? We will help you develop and implement the automation solution you need. Are you a systems integrator or a components manufacturer?

More companies in Brazil are adopting intelligent automation solutions and services as part of a wave of digital transformation that began during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to accelerate, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. "Leading service providers are helping organizations integrate these tools, along with governance frameworks and change management processes." The 2022 ISG Provider Lens Intelligent Automation -- Services and Solutions report for Brazil finds several types of automation are gaining traction in the country, which is one of the largest automation markets in South America. Companies are acting to increase efficiency, better understand their processes and solve IT problems before they disrupt operations. "The challenges that companies in Brazil have faced since the pandemic call for comprehensive, modern automation solutions," said Chip Wagner, CEO of ISG Automation.

NLP Logix, an artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions company, today announced it's partnership and inclusion into the Beeline ecosystem. Beeline customers will be able to leverage NLP Logix's task automation solutions to drive even greater efficiencies. Beeline is the leading technology solution provider for managing the global extended workforce. "NLP Logix's AI tools can eliminate repetitive tasks, allowing the contingent workforce to offer even more value." "Beeline's mission is to optimize the contingent workforce in every way and partnering with NLP Logix will add another layer to this optimization," said Doug Leeby, Beeline CEO.

T-Hub, which leads India's innovation ecosystem, announced that it has co-invested in Bluecopa through T-Fund along with Blume Ventures and other notable investors like Titan Capital, Speciale Invest, Bharat Founders Fund, T2D3, Amplify, and Force Ventures. Finance operations automation platform, Bluecopa raised USD 2.3 million in this seed funding round. Also joining the funding round are seasoned entrepreneurs Krish Subramanian, Rajaraman Santhanam, Founders of Chargebee, Rohit Chennamaneni, Founder of Darwinbox, Asad Khan, and Jay Singh, Founders of LambdaTest. T-Fund is primarily a Co-Investment Fund, which invests alongside established Angels, Angel Networks, and venture capitalists. T-Hub is the Investment Manager and will formulate investment and business development strategies for this fund. It will source startups from various sectors, including but not restricted to Information Technology, Cleantech, Agritech, Fintech, Healthtech, Logistics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Hardware, Blockchain, and Consumer tech.

Will you be content if you hire and pay four people but only three show up to actually do the work? And yet, many employers do just that. According to McKinsey, an average worker spends 1.8 hours daily gathering and aggregating data, a task that is redundant and doesn't have a direct impact on business success, and, above all, can be easily automated. Is your insurance company looking for ways to relieve your employees from this routine burden while cutting costs and minimizing errors? If so, you can consult a robotic process automation company to build or customize an RPA solution specific to your needs.

Henry Alty argues that while robotic process automation players like Blue Prism and UiPath started companies on the automation journey, businesses need to think more strategically to capture value from broader digital transformation. The rise of robotic process automation (RPA) saw companies automate individual tasks previously undertaken by humans, utilising software provided by companies including Blue Prism and UiPath. At one point valued at more than £1bn and $35bn respectively, these venture capital darlings flew high on the promise of turning an entire workforce into'citizen developers', who could effortlessly develop applications to solve individual problems. This software was sold to Chief Financial Officers as a tool to drive enormous productivity gains and cost savings by automating repetitive'swivel chair' work. But that promise has been largely disproven.

Efficient data processing and data sharing are essential functions across healthcare--from patient care, clinical research, and health services planning to billing and government reporting for funding and research. But most of the data that the industry is processing is human-generated, meaning it's messy and riddled with errors, and often manually inputted from Excel spreadsheets into various disparate platforms and technology systems. In some cases, our healthcare system is running on infrastructure that is over 20 years old. There are many instances across the system that are overly burdensome from an administrative standpoint, which pulls crucial resources from patients. For example, a single national U.S. insurer that I worked with had more than 500 employees manually keying in provider and facility data--information needed by its members to find doctors covered by their insurance.

Last year Robotic Process Automation (RPA) was all the rage, as we saw market leader UIPath go public at a huge valuation, while larger more established players began to scoop up smaller vendors. Yet RPA has always felt like an interim automation solution to deal with legacy processes before shifting to a more intelligent no-code approach. Forrester Research's latest data appears to back this up, predicting the RPA software market will reach $6.5 billion by 2025, but with the caveat that growth will start to flatten as soon as next year as companies shift to more AI-fueled automation solutions. "While we expect the tremendous market growth in 2021 to continue throughout 2022, fueled by pandemic-induced automation demand and ongoing digital transformation programs, growth rates will begin to flatten in 2023," the company wrote in its latest RPA market report. While $6.5 billion is up significantly from it's 2018 report when the firm predicted the market would reach $1.1 billion in 2019, it is still a fairly small amount overall when you consider Salesforce just completed a quarter in which it reported over $7 billion in revenue on its own. The services part of the market, helping implement these complex solutions, is expected to grow much more robustly compared to RPA software revenue.