Building AI-native workflows starts with the business outcome an organization wants to achieve. It requires rethinking how people, processes and data work together across an entire task.
Enterprise software company Workiva Inc. is applying that approach internally as it develops capabilities for finance and compliance teams. Success means moving beyond individual productivity gains toward measurable business results, according to Kim Huffman (pictured), chief information officer of Workiva.
“I think AI is a fundamental technology that’s going to reshape the landscape of technology portfolios in every organization,” she said. “When you think of it as a bolt-on capability, you’re probably going to get bolt-on outcomes.”
Huffman spoke with theCUBE Research’s Krista Case and co-host Alison Kosik at Workiva’s Amplify event, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed workflow redesign, trusted data and employee adoption. (* Disclosure below.)
Building AI-native workflows on trusted data
Designing AI-native workflows involves bringing employees from different functions together to define a shared outcome. Teams can then identify where artificial intelligence could perform parts of the work while preserving opportunities for users to validate and approve its actions. Preparing employees for those changes is essential, according to Huffman.
“AI has amplified … the importance of data quality, data trust and data governance,” she said. “Historically, people have looked at some of the governance functions around data as potentially slowing down the speed of how organizations want to move. But in the era of AI, I actually view governance as the ability to move faster. If you can build strong governance, you have a greater degree of trust so that you’re able to trust the outputs.”
Workiva’s Agent Studio, announced at the event, lets users build and customize agents without writing code, according to the company. Giving employees those capabilities can uncover opportunities technology teams had not anticipated, Huffman added.
“I think the biggest ‘aha’ moment was how quickly the teams that were introduced to Agent Studio were able to understand it and were able to build something that was really valuable in a very short period of time,” she said. “In days, they were able to get something that worked for them for their specific use case, and they were able to see immediate results.”
Here’s the complete video interview, part of theCUBE’s coverage of Workiva’s Amplify event:
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Workiva’s Amplify event. Neither Workiva, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)
