Daily Archives: December 9, 2023

A new startup named Lutra AIlaunched today with a platform aimed at helping users create personal artificial intelligence workflows and automate repetitive tasks without the need for deep technical expertise.

Lutra is led by co-founder and Chief Executive Jiquan Ngiam, who previously worked at Google LLC and the online education provider Coursera Inc. He saw an opening to use AI to provide nontechnical users a path to build automation projects for tasks that can connect workflows.

The companys goal is to integrate AI with already existing tools such as Slack, Microsoft Outlook and Google Workspace to allow users to describe what they do day-to-day and have an AI assistant prepare a workflow for them. This could be something such as managing incoming emails, performing financial research or summarizing and extracting data from PDF documents for a reporting system thats done daily.

Ngiam said his time working at Coursera and Google gave him the insight that users needed something to simplify the process of automating workflows. So he got together with friends, including the companys co-founder Vijay Vasudevan, who also worked at Google, to look at AI models that could become assistants for nontechnical users by allowing them to use conversational English to describe what they need.

It made me think about the ability of these models to generate code and reasoning, then figure out the environment about making it more useful for non-engineers, Ngiam toldTechCrunch. There was this question about can these models now code in a way that interconnects all the software we use to then do very useful things for us reliably and securely.

What Lutra developed is a code-first AI assistant that allows users to describe their workflow and goals in natural language to an AI assistant, which will then ask follow-up questions to refine the automation. This means that essentially, its like talking to a coworker or developer who is writing code to connect apps to automate tasks.

The idea behind the AI assistant is to deliver an automated workflow to users as if they are programming in English. By describing the workflow that they want, the AI assistant guides them through the process and gives them visibility end-to-end in the code that it produces. Lutra says that because the AI models produce working software code for production-ready environments that connects enterprise data and apps, it can be done in a secure, reliable way.

Lutra recently raised $3.8 million in a seed funding round led by Coatue Ventures, with participation from Hustle Fund, Maven Ventures and a group of angel investors. The platform is currently in private beta as the team focuses on expanding it to more customers, but there is a waitlist for users interested in early access.

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Lutra AI launches to make building automated AI workflows easy - SiliconANGLE News

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Last week, a team of researchers from the University of California, Berkeley published a highly anticipated paper in the journal Nature describing an autonomous laboratory or A-Lab that aimed to use artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to accelerate the discovery and synthesis of new materials.

Dubbed a self-driving lab, the A-Lab presented an ambitious vision of what an AI-powered system could achieve in scientific research when equipped with the latest techniques in computational modeling, machine learning (ML), automation and natural language processing.

However, within days of publication, doubts began to emerge about some of the key claims and results presented in the paper.

Robert Palgrave is an inorganic chemistry and materials science professor at University College London. He has decades of experience in X-ray crystallography. Palgrave raised a series of technical concerns on X (formerly Twitter) about inconsistencies he noticed in the data and analysis provided as evidence for the A-Labs purported successes.

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In particular, Palgrave argued that the phase identification of synthesized materials conducted by the A-Labs AI via powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) appeared to be seriously flawed in several cases and that some of the newly synthesized materials were already discovered.

Palgraves concerns, which he aired in an interview with VentureBeat and a pointed letter to Nature, revolve around the AIs interpretation ofXRD data a technique akin to taking a molecular fingerprint of a material to understand its structure.

Imagine XRD as a high-tech camera that can snap pictures of atoms in a material. When X-rays hit the atoms, they scatter, creating patterns that scientists can read, like using shadows on a wall to determine a source objects shape.

Similar to how children use hand shadows to copy the shapes of animals, scientists make models of materials and then see if those models produce similar X-ray patterns to the ones they measured.

Palgrave pointed out that the AIs models didnt match the actual patterns, suggesting the AI might have gotten a bit too creative with its interpretations.

Palgrave argued this represented such a fundamental failure to meet basic standards of evidence for identifying new materials that the papers central thesis that 41 novel synthetic inorganic solids had been produced could not be upheld.

In a letter to Nature, Palgrave detailed a slew of examples where the data simply did not support the conclusions drawn. In some cases, the calculated models provided to match XRD measurements differed so dramatically from the actual patterns that serious doubts exist over the central claim of this paper, that new materials were produced.

Although he remains a proponent of AI use in the sciences, Palgrave questions whether such an undertaking could realistically be performed fully autonomously with current technology. Some level of human verification is still needed, he contends.

Palgrave didnt mince words: The models that they make are in some cases completely different to the data, not even a little bit close, like utterly, completely different. His message? The AIs autonomous efforts might have missed the mark, and a human touch could have steered it right.

Responding to the wave of skepticism, Gerbrand Ceder, the head of the Ceder Group at Berkeley, stepped into the fray with a LinkedIn post.

Ceder acknowledged the gaps, saying, We appreciate his feedback on the data we shared and aim to address [Palgraves] specific concerns in this response. Ceder admitted that while A-Lab laid the groundwork, it still needed the discerning eye of human scientists.

Ceders update included new evidence that supported the AIs success in creating compounds with the right ingredients. However, he conceded, a human can perform a higher-quality [XRD] refinement on these samples, recognizing the AIs current limitations.

Ceder also reaffirmed that the papers objective was to demonstrate what an autonomous laboratory can achieve not claim perfection. And upon review, more comprehensive analysis methods were still needed.

The conversation spilled back over to social media, with Palgrave and Princeton Professor Leslie Schoop weighing in on the Ceder Groups response. Their back-and-forth highlighted a key takeaway: AI is a promising tool for material sciences future, but its not ready to go solo.

Palgrave and his team plan to do a re-analysis of the XRD results, intending to produce a much more thorough description of what compounds were actually synthesized.

For those in executive and corporate leadership roles, this experiment is a case study in the potential and limitations of AI in scientific research. It illustrates the importance of marrying AIs speed with the meticulous oversight of human experts.

The key lessons are clear: AI can revolutionize research by handling the heavy lifting, but it cant yet replicate the nuanced judgment of seasoned scientists. The experiment also underscores the value of peer review and transparency in research, as expert critiques from Palgrave and Schoop have highlighted areas for improvement.

Looking ahead, the future involves a synergistic blend of AI and human intelligence. Despite its flaws, the Ceder groups experiment has sparked an essential conversation about AIs role in advancing science. Its a reminder that while technology can push boundaries, its the wisdom of human experience that ensures were moving in the right direction. This experiment stands as both a testament to AIs potential in material science and a cautionary tale. Its a rallying cry for researchers and tech innovators to refine AI tools, ensuring theyre reliable partners in the quest for knowledge. The future of AI in science is indeed luminous, but it will shine its brightest when guided by the hands of those who have a deep understanding of the worlds complexities.

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AI meets materials science: the promise and pitfalls of automated discovery - VentureBeat

The editors at Solutions Review have curated this list of the most noteworthy WorkTech news from the week of December 8th. This round-up covers announcements and updates from companies like Infor, Automation Anywhere, IFS, and more.

Keeping tabs on the most relevantERPandBPM news can be time-consuming. As a result, our editorial team aims to summarize the weeks top headlines in the enterprise technology marketplace. The Solutions Review editors will compile a weekly round-up of vendor product news, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital funding, talent acquisition, and other noteworthy WorkTech information. With that in mind, here is some of the top WorkTech news for December 8th.

Accenture has announced that it is joining forces with Unilever, a consumer goods multinational. The partnership is part of a strategic initiative that will leverage Unilevers AI research and implementation of technologies to enhance productivity, support business efficiencies, and accelerate the development of AI-powered innovations at scale. Additionally, Accenture will connect Unilever with its data and AI experts to help it capitalize on Accentures ecosystem of partnerships, ventures, and strategic investment in its Center for Advanced AI.

Automation Anywhere, an intelligent automation solution provider, has entered into a multi-year Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS). The SCA will help Automation Anywhere enhance its generative AI and intelligence automation expertise, enabling it to improve enterprise productivity, maximize business growth, and offer customers more choice, flexibility, and reliability for their generative AI deployments. Automation Anywhere also announced the general availability of its integration with Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker, which will help businesses develop, train, and deploy machine learning (ML) models.

Infor, an industry cloud solution provider, has formed a new partnership with ETQ, part of Hexagon, an ETQ Reliance quality management system (QMS) provider. The partnership will strengthen Infors solution ecosystem for food and beverage, life sciences, fashion, chemicals, and distribution enterprises needing reliable quality management and environmental, health, and safety solutions. The companies will provide organizations with the capabilities they need to manage compliance, reduce risks, and achieve operational excellence across their processes.

IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company, has appointed Max RobertsandBelinda Finch as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer, respectively, who will join the companys executive leadership team. As COO, Roberts will work with IFS leadership teams to develop the companys longer-term strategic product and services portfolios and help develop new strategic alliances and partnerships. Meanwhile, Finch will oversee the continuation of IFS digital transformation journey and help the executive leadership team maximize the adoption of AI across the organization.

On December 14th, Solutions Review will be hosting a Solutions Spotlight webinar event with SYSPRO. The webinar will focus on addressing challenges involved with transitioning from an outdated legacy ERP solution to an agile Next Level ERP solution. The webinar will also feature a Q&A section with Gavin Verreyne, the Senior Vice President of Professional Services.

Watch this space each week as our editors will share upcoming events, new thought leadership, and the best resources fromInsight Jam, Solutions Reviews enterprise tech community for business software pros. The goal? To help you gain a forward-thinking analysis and remain on-trend through expert advice, best practices, trends and predictions, and vendor-neutral software evaluation tools.

As part of Solutions Reviews annual WorkTech Insight Jam, we called for the industrys best and brightest to share their ERP, BPM, CRM, and Marketing Technology predictions for 2024 and beyond. The experts featured represent some of the top WorkTech solution providers with experience in these marketplaces, and each projection has been vetted for relevance and ability to add business value.

Solutions Reviews Vendors to Watch is an annual listing of solution providers worth monitoring in 2024 and beyond. This year, weve spotlighted five WorkTech vendors making a name for themselves. These include airSlates document workflow automation platform, Cleos evolving supply chain capabilities, Deskeras integrated solution suite for SMBs, Nexthinks Digital Employee Experience Management (DEX) platform, and Yellow.ais conversational AI solutions.

As part of Solutions Reviews Contributed Content Series, Nishant Patel, Founder and CTO of Contentstack, outlines some critical things IT teams need to know throughout the startup, scaleup, and other phases their business may go through. These include the value of documenting everything, prioritizing process optimization, upgrading customer data security, and getting specific about how you reduce risks.

As part of Solutions Reviews Contributed Content Series, Cameron van Orman, the Chief Strategy Officer at Planview, explains why every company should start acting like a software company. The article goes into how agile methodologies emphasize delivering business value, ensuring leadership has visibility into development initiatives, and how connected work helps ensure organizational alignment.

For consideration in future news round-ups, send your announcements to wjepma@solutionsreview.com.

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Top WorkTech News From the Week of December 8th: Updates from Infor, Automation Anywhere, IFS, and More - Solutions Review

The SPS Fair 2023the latest industrial automation trends report is a comprehensive summary of the key highlights, comparison of 7 prominent industrial automation OEMs, 14 generative AI showcases, and 17 in-depth insights assembled by the IoT Analytics analyst team at SPS fair 2023. These insights are based on >75 booth visits, >50 individual interviews, and attendance of several presentations. 5 analysts were present for a total of 7 days.

The main purpose of this document is to help our readers stay abreast of the newest trends in industrial automation and stay ahead of the evolving market landscape.

All discussed insights are centered around Industrial IoT / Industry 4.0related topics.

About SPS 2023

The SPS is a coveted industrial exhibition encompassing a broad spectrum of digital and smart automation solutions. In 2023, the event evolved beyond its traditional focus areas such as control, drive, and sensor technology, to also highlight software and IT. In response to the expanding scope of the event in the post-COVID era, the organizers extended the exhibition space from 14 to 16 halls.

Report highlights

Further insights can be found in the report with relevant examples/proof-points.

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SPS Fair 2023 - The Latest Industrial Automation Trends - IoT Analytics

This strategic collaboration focuses on helping healthcare and life sciences organizations adopt a holistic approach to automation-driven digital transformation initiatives. The aim is to help them accelerate transformation efforts to gain a competitive edge, improve patient experience, and enhance their bottom-line results.

MOORESTOWN, N.J., Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nividous and RCG Global Services are pleased to announce their strategic focus, with a shared mission to help organizations achieve operational excellence and peak efficiency as part of overall digital and business transformation in the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.

Together, this collaborative effort intends to help organizations solve intricate business challenges by harnessing cutting-edge technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Low-code Process Orchestration, along with strong domain and industry expertise, all while delivering exceptional return on investment (ROI). The overarching goal is to augment human work experience by equipping individuals with intelligent automation tools that encourage innovation, creativity, and heightened productivity.

RCG Global Services brings industry experience and deep expertise in data engineering, architecture, AI, and digital strategy, delivering exceptional business outcomes for healthcare and life sciences organizations. Nividous contributes its unique approach to intelligent automation through a robust, user-friendly platform that comprehensively combines the capabilities of RPA, AI, and Low-code Process Automation. Together, with an emphasis on faster time-to-value, the partnership is focused on meeting organizations where they are in the automation and digital transformation journey from inaugural efforts to enterprise scale.

Here are the primary areas of focus for this strategic partnership that enables healthcare and life sciences organizations, including payors, providers, pharmaceutical firms, health tech, and other industry players, to address current and future needs, ultimately securing their future:

"At RCG Global Services, we recognize that the future of healthcare demands digital transformation and intelligent automation that works seamlessly with human expertise. Our partnership with Nividous is more than a synergy of technologies; it's a commitment to empowering healthcare professionals with the tools they need to deliver unparalleled patient care and operational excellence." Dr. Rob Nelson, Head, Healthcare and Life Sciences, RCG Global Services."

Erik Galardi, Director of Channel Partnerships at Nividous, emphasizes, "In today's rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, modern business operations are progressively transitioning towards digitization and intelligence. Nonetheless, many healthcare and life sciences are entangled in manual processes, fragmented systems, and operational inefficiencies. Nividous and RCG Global are committed to empowering the healthcare and life sciences industry in this period of transformation by solving their unique business problems with the most advanced AI and business process automation tools, supported by our robust strategy execution expertise."

About Nividous

Nividous, a global intelligent automation company, is passionate about enabling organizations to work at their peak efficiency.

The Nividous leadership team has decades of experience delivering hundreds of digital process automation solutions to companies and organizations of various sizes worldwide.

Leveraging its tremendous domain expertise, the Nividous team offers vertical solutions that are RPA and AI-enabled and built on configurable process automation capabilities to empower businesses to operate with flexibility and agility. Nividous also provides end-to-end professional services that include process discovery, implementation, support, and building Centers of Excellence (CoE).

Contact

Erik Galardi Director of Channel Partnerships Nividous Software Solutions Call: 442.444.2767 Email: [emailprotected] Book a meeting:https://calendly.com/erik-galardi

About RCG Global Services

RCG is a global provider of digital transformation consulting services, combining digital strategy and modern cloud and data technologies to deliver measurable business outcomes for customer engagement, workforce enablement, and operations optimization. RCG helps customers ignite transformational thinking and unlock new value throughout their journey to achieve their digital ambitions.

RCG serves Fortune 1000 enterprise clients across a range of markets, with special emphasis on the consumer, financial services, insurance, and healthcare industries. RCG is based in Iselin, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States and offshore delivery centers in the Philippines and India. For more information, please visit rcgglobalservices.com.

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Nividous and RCG Global Services Focus on Empowering Healthcare and Life Sciences Organizations with Intelligent ... - PR Newswire