ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives | AI and Machine Learning (5)

With Generative AI, Any Dog Can Write a Contract

Posted by Robert Kugel on 29 August 2023

This title plays on the now-ancient meme from the 1990s: “On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog,” which pointed to a challenge of anonymity posed by new technology. In this case, though, I’m using it to highlight an opportunity that generative artificial intelligence presents in streamlining routine business functions that require some level of individual skill and experience to handle.... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Digital Technology, robotic automation, AI and Machine Learning

Pragmatism for HR Leaders: GenAI and HCM Technology

Posted by ISG Research on 24 August 2023

The world of human capital management (HCM) technology, and tech in general, is buzzing with excitement over the potential of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Startups, especially, are releasing software at seemingly breakneck speed, and larger vendors, specifically the platform providers, have been releasing their own net-new or enhanced features and functionality. We’ve all read that... Read More

Topics: Human Capital Management, AI and Machine Learning

GoodData’s Embedded Analytics Democratizes Data-Driven Decisions

Posted by David Menninger on 17 August 2023

The current market landscape of data and analytics is undergoing rapid evolution, presenting organizations with a wide array of challenges and opportunities. As data sources and warehouses steadily migrate to the cloud, a significant number of organizations still depend on conventional tools. This reliance on legacy systems hinders the seamless accessibility and adoption of analytics and business... Read More

Topics: embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Streaming Analytics, AI and Machine Learning

Advanced Technology Enables Analytic Autonomy

Posted by Robert Kugel on 17 August 2023

A century ago, the big breakthrough in telephones was the ability to dial your party’s number directly. Dialing became necessary when enough people had telephones to require a shift from people-assisted to fully automated connections. But direct dialing was only a local option – you still needed an operator to make long-distance calls. In the 1920s, commenting on their forecast for the expected... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Analytics, Business Planning, AI and Machine Learning

IBM’s Watsonx Provides a Foundation for Generative AI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 09 August 2023

It is a mark of the rapid, current pace of development in artificial intelligence (AI) that machine learning (ML) models, until recently considered state of the art, are now routinely being referred to by developers and vendors as “traditional.” Generative AI, and large language models (LLMs) in particular, have taken the AI world by storm in the past year, automating and accelerating the... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Governance, Data, Digital Technology, natural language processing, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

DataStax Adds Vector Search to Address Generative AI

Posted by Matt Aslett on 03 August 2023

As I have previously explained, we expect an increased demand for intelligent operational applications infused with the results of analytic processes, such as personalization and artificial intelligence-driven recommendations. These systems rely on the analysis of data in the operational data platform to accelerate worker decision-making or improve customer experience. AI-driven intelligent... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data, Digital Technology, Streaming Analytics, Streaming Data Events, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Not Your Grandpa’s Consolidate and Close Software

Posted by Robert Kugel on 27 July 2023

The six costliest words in managing a finance department are, “we’ve always done it this way.” Closing the books is the process of finalizing and summarizing the financial activities of a business for a specific accounting period (typically a month, quarter, or fiscal year). It involves completing various tasks to ensure that all revenue, expense, and other financial transactions are properly... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, ERP and Continuous Accounting, AI and Machine Learning

AI Advances Automation for Enhanced Efficiency

Posted by Jeff Orr on 25 July 2023

Intelligent automation is a powerful tool that can help the CIO and IT leaders optimize business processes and outcomes while reducing costs, risks and errors. Automation takes many forms, each with its own applications, benefits and limitations. In a previous perspective, I shared how technology helps organizations automate processes and enhance workflow efficiency. This perspective explains the... Read More

Topics: Digital Technology, robotic automation, AI and Machine Learning

The Question of Generative AI Costs

Posted by Robert Kugel on 25 July 2023

As we celebrate the first half of what seems to be the year of generative artificial intelligence, with an apparently unlimited discussion of use cases and bogeymen, my attention is turning to the very mundane question of costs. Specifically, how costs incurred – through investment and operation – will be distributed along the value chain and how this will affect the demand for AI ‒ by whom and... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, Business Planning, Enterprise Resource Planning, natural language processing, AI and Machine Learning, Continuous Supply Chain & ERP

Intelligent Automation Unlocks the Full Potential of Technology

Posted by Jeff Orr on 18 July 2023

Automation uses technology to perform tasks or functions that would otherwise require human intervention or effort. Automation has existed for decades, and it takes many forms. It handles routine tasks, freeing time for knowledge workers to perform other activities that require creativity, subjectivity or empathy. Automation can also improve the quality, efficiency and consistency of business... Read More

Topics: Digital Technology, robotic automation, AI and Machine Learning

SingleStore Highlights Multi-Format Data Storage for Vector Search

Posted by Matt Aslett on 11 July 2023

The publication of Ventana Research’s 2023 Operational Data Platforms Value Index earlier this year highlighted the importance of incorporating analytic processing into operational applications to deliver personalization and recommendations for workers, partners and customers. This importance is being accelerated by interest in generative AI, especially large language models. The emergence of... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Cloud Computing, Data, Digital Technology, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Sage Positioned to Gain from Seismic Shift in ERP Market

Posted by Robert Kugel on 06 July 2023

I recently attended Sage Software’s Partner Summit. Implementation partners account for most of the sales and implementation of finance and accounting applications designed for small and midsize businesses, so they are important to the success of the software vendor. These events are designed to inform partners of product enhancements and the product and technology roadmap as well as provide a... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, AI and Machine Learning

Harnessing Generative AI: Fueling Collaboration and Conversation

Posted by Jeff Orr on 14 June 2023

A lot has been written about the definition of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs), though less has been written about the business considerations for an organization to evaluate adopting and implementing these technologies. And more importantly, does the technology align with the Office of the CIO objectives and the goals of the business? The value of... Read More

Topics: Digital Technology, natural language processing, Collaborative & Conversational Computing, AI and Machine Learning

Data is the Strategic Raw Material of Finance Departments

Posted by Robert Kugel on 07 June 2023

The Office of Finance can be compared to a numbers factory where the main raw material, data, is transformed into financial statements, management accounting, analyses, forecasts, budgets, regulatory filings, tax returns and all kinds of reports. Data is the strategic raw material of the finance and accounting department. It is the key ingredient in every sale and purchase as well as every... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Data Management, Business Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, data operations, analytic data platforms, AI and Machine Learning

Large Language Models and Generative AI: Beware Misplaced Trust

Posted by Matt Aslett on 06 June 2023

The data and analytics sector rightly places great importance on data quality: Almost two-thirds (64%) of participants in Ventana Research’s Analytics and Data Benchmark Research cite reviewing data for quality and consistency issues as the most time-consuming task in analyzing data. Data and analytics vendors would not recommend that customers use tools known to have data quality problems. It is... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Data Governance, Data Management, Data, Digital Technology, natural language processing, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

Large Language Models Take AI World By Storm

Posted by David Menninger on 17 May 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has evolved from a highly specialized niche technology to a worldwide phenomenon. Nearly 9 in 10 organizations use or plan to adopt AI technology. Several factors have contributed to this evolution. First, the amount of data they can collect and store has increased dramatically while the cost of analyzing these large amounts of data has decreased dramatically.... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Digital Technology, natural language processing, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

The Path to Generative AI to Boost Contact Center Agent Performance

Posted by Keith Dawson on 16 May 2023

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become ubiquitous in discussions of contact center technology. Vendors are rushing to incorporate it into platforms and applications. And end users have understandably mixed feelings about where it makes sense to use and what its impacts will be. No one should be surprised that AI has arrived, especially for customer support: Software companies have been working... Read More

Topics: Customer Experience, Contact Center, agent management, AI and Machine Learning

Snowflake Expands Beyond Analytics in the Cloud

Posted by Matt Aslett on 11 May 2023

The data platforms market has traditionally been divided between products specifically designed to support operational or analytic workloads, with other market segments having emerged in recent years for data platforms targeted specifically at data science and machine learning (ML), as well as real-time analytics. More recently, we have seen vendor strategies evolving to provide a more... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Business Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data, Digital Technology, analytic data platforms, Analytics and Data, AI and Machine Learning

OneStream Advances Generative AI to Improve Productivity

Posted by Robert Kugel on 01 May 2023

OneStream offers a platform designed to serve the needs of accounting and financial planning and analysis organizations. The software handles financial close and consolidation, planning and budgeting, analysis and reporting. The most notable part of the company’s presentations at its annual user group meeting – Splash – was the strategy and roadmap for its two artificial intelligence initiatives,... Read More

Topics: Office of Finance, AI and Machine Learning

Generative AI Ushers in a New Age of Content and Model Creation

Posted by David Menninger on 25 April 2023

Generative AI is a class of artificial intelligence used to generate new, seemingly real content. Broadly speaking, AI has traditionally been used to identify patterns in data and apply those patterns to categorize and predict behaviors. For instance, it can organize customers into groups (or clusters) with similar characteristics, or predict which customers are most likely to respond to certain... Read More

Topics: Analytics, Digital Technology, AI and Machine Learning