Smart machines are reinventing how work is done, but there is significant untapped potential in reimagining business processes from the ground up as self-improving procedures that can sense, comprehend, act and learn — all in real time.

1. PROCESS
REIMAGINEDTogether, people and AI are reinventing
business processes from the ground up.

2. Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 2
of companies surveyed testify that machine
learning-enabled processes help them find
solutions to unsolved problems through
data they had not previously been able to
tap.
of organizations using machine
learning have seen at least a
200 percent improvement in
KPIs in enterprise processes.
Companies across sectors
and regions are seeing an
initial boost
in process speed and
performance from machine
learning (ML).
SMART MACHINES ARE REINVENTING
HOW WORK IS DONE

3. To maximize the potential of AI, digital leaders must
create self-adapting, self-optimizing “living
processes” that use machine learning algorithms
and real-time data to continuously improve.
The ability for machines to act as agents of process
change will unlock new roles and ways for humans and
machines to work together.
THE NEXT ERA OF AI
IS HERE NOW…
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 3

4. At Accenture, we call this
PROCESS
REIMAGINED
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 4

5. LEADERS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOCUS
ON THREE OVERLAPPING LENSES
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 5
9% of organizations are taking
a proactive approach to AI and are
focusing on all three areas
simultaneously—making them twice
as likely to achieve 10x KPI
improvements for their artificial
intelligence processes.
Source: Daugherty, Paul R. and Wilson, H.J. Human +
Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI. Boston:
Harvard Business Review Press, 2018.

6. PROCESS CHANGE
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About one quarter of companies are
systematically making the shift by:
1. Applying artificial intelligence
to process change management
2. Rethinking standardized process
as continuously adaptive
3. Bringing AI-based change to multiple processes
across the enterprise
Successful companies reimagine vs. simply automate existing processes

7. DATA & DATA MODELS
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About one-third of companies are
harnessing data to create exponential
improvements in speed and KPIs by:
1. Using data to train and
sustain process change
2. Making processes self-healing,
self-adapting, and self-optimizing
3. Discovering new patterns
of opportunity
Forward thinking organizations use data + machine learning for exponential gains

8. WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATION
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A little more than one-third are transforming
the human-machine
work relationship by:
1. Enlisting the C-Suite to remake
the culture with AI
2. Helping employees
keep pace
3. Emphasizing distinctively human capabilities
when hiring
4. Making sure that algorithmic decisions
are fair, safe, and auditable
Future-focused enterprises are rethinking workforce and AI

9. COMPANIES MUST RESKILL THEIR WORKFORCE
IN THE RIGHT WAY…
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Workers need to be
reeducated on how to
maximize creative skills
as well as train, interact with
and be augmented
by smart machines. Of
the companies surveyed:
agree that machine learning
will result in improvements in
job satisfaction and retention.
agree that employees feel they
are doing more interesting work
as a result of machine learning.

10. TO ACHIEVE MORE, ORGANIZATIONS ARE
DEVELOPING NEW INTERACTIONS BETWEEN
HUMANS AND MACHINES: THE MISSING MIDDLE
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 10
Source: Daugherty, Paul R. and Wilson, H.J. Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press, 2018.

11. THREE ACTIONS
TO TAKE. NOW.
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 11
Who requires retraining
and reskilling?
Consider your workforce
and AI to be complements.
Reskill the workforce so
that AI augments—not
automate or displace—your
workforce.
Where is the data?
Develop a data center
to properly utilize the
variety of data available in
any organization.
Remember, the data
need not be numbers
anymore—it can be text,
images, videos and audio.
What could this
process be?
Explore the feasibility of
reimagining processes
through out-of-the-box
thinking, utilizing design
thinking and other
creative techniques.

12. LEARN MORE
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 12
accenture.com/hplusm
@pauldaugh
@hjameswilson
www.accenture.com/hplusm

13. READ:
BOOST YOUR AIQ – TRANSFORMING
INTO AN AI BUSINESS
www.accenture.com/us-en/event-g20-
yea-summit
LEARN MORE
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 13
READ:
HOW AI BOOSTS INDUSTRY
PROFITS AND INNOVATION
www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-ai-
industry-growth
READ:
TECHNOLOGY VISION 2018 –
INTELLIGENT ENTERPRISE
UNLEASHED
www.accenture.com/techvision

14. ABOUT THE
RESEARCH
Building on an earlier pilot
study, we investigated
where and how companies are
applying artificial intelligence to
manage and change business
processes. We surveyed 1075
process professionals from
large global companies.
NORTH AMERICA
United States
Canada
LATIN AMERICA
Brazil
GEOGRAPHIES
ASIA
China
Japan
Singapore
OCEANIA
Australia
EUROPE
UK
France
Spain
Switzerland
Italy
Norway
Germany
Austria
INDUSTRIES
BANKING
CHEMICALS
CONSUMER PRODUCTS
& GOODS
HEALTHCARE
MANUFACTURING
IT & INTERNET SERVICES
IT PRODUCTS
INSURANCE
METALS
MINING & MINERALS
OIL & GAS
PUBLIC SERVICE
RETAIL
TELECOM
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 14

15. CONTACT US
Copyright © 2018 Accenture. All rights reserved. 15
PAUL DAUGHERTY
Chief Technology and
Innovation Officer,
Accenture
H. JAMES WILSON
Managing Director, Information
Technology and Business Research,
Accenture

16. ABOUT US
ACCENTURE
Accenture is a leading global professional services
company, providing a broad range of services and
solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and
operations. Combining unmatched experience and
specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all
business functions – underpinned by the world’s largest
delivery network – Accenture works at the intersection of
business and technology to help clients improve their
performance and create sustainable value for their
stakeholders. With approximately 442,000 people serving
clients
in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation
to improve the way the world works
and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com
ACCENTURE RESEARCH
Accenture Research shapes trends and creates
data-driven insights about the most pressing issues global
organizations face. Combining the power
of innovative research techniques with a deep
understanding of our clients’ industries, our team of 250
researchers and analysts spans 23 countries and
publishes hundreds of reports, articles and points of view
every year. Our thought-provoking research – supported
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