Intelligent Automation Set to Reshape Enterprise Operations
Honeywell's Chief Technology Officer, Shalini Neelankavil, sees intelligent automation fundamentally reshaping the future of enterprises over the next decade. She believes it will move companies from being largely reactive to becoming increasingly predictive, adaptive, and autonomous.
The traditional approach to automation focused on executing repetitive tasks faster. However, the next generation combines connected devices, software, data, and AI to understand context, anticipate what's likely to happen, and recommend or execute the next best action.
Nearly every decision in mission-critical operations has real operational consequences, Neelankavil notes. She emphasizes that technology's value lies in enabling better operational outcomes, not replacing people. The greatest benefit of intelligent automation will come from reducing cognitive load, removing repetitive work, and giving people trusted, actionable intelligence at the right moment.
The organizations that lead this transformation will be those that design intelligence into their operations from the beginning, rather than adding AI as an afterthought. Neelankavil stresses the importance of understanding business problems first, before selecting technology to solve them.