We Love Ugly Data! The Deep Analysis Podcast - Episode 16 June 2024

The sixteenth episode of the podcast that you know and love as “We Love Ugly Data!” is out; available everywhere you get your podcasts from and, of course, in video form via YouTube (which we’ve embedded below). As always, it’s three topics in (just a touch over) 30 minutes, and the show notes are, as usual, included in the embedded video below. Matt and Alan are in the chairs this time, discussing how GenAI assistants are becoming agents, how RPA is growing in the shade, and what parts of vendor conferences work (and which bits don’t).

In this month’s episode:

Topic 1: AI Assistants become Agents

For Topic 1, Matt and Alan discuss how after 2023 being the year where everyone launched an GenAI assistant, 2024 is the year when everyone is launching a GenAI agent. And to keep it confusing (or simple?) they’re all called Copilots. The pair discusses the phenomenon, based on the differences, of how the agent approach might suit some mature use cases better than others and how quickly a “decision tree” approach to developing and testing an agent will get really tricky indeed. Also, Matt references Spinal Tap (amazingly, for the first ever time on this pod).

Topic 2: Automation; zero spotlights and doing fine?

Alan’s been on the road again, most recently visiting Automation Anywhere’s “Imagine 2024” conference in Austin, Texas. In discussing all of that, the pair wonder whether being in the shade suits RPA, given the recent strong results for UiPath and general good market health (as predicted by the Task Execution market projections within the 2023 and 2024 editions of the Work Intelligence Market Analysis). Could it also be that the scramble for GenAI use cases is throwing up good opportunities for RPA that could deliver faster value?

Topic 3: Conference programs; what works and what doesn’t?

As analysts, we are privileged to attend many in-person conferences and have primo seats and often luxuries like refreshments and power sockets (I know, it’s a gilded existence). Given that experience, Matt and Alan each pick one thing that works well at these conferences and another that should be avoided at all costs. Unsurprisingly, this topic took this edition of the podcast over time.

Show notes for Series 3, Episode 4.

Topic 1: AI Assistants become Agents
Matt’s recent blog post concerns Salesforce’s strategy regarding GenAI assistants and agents.
“Copilots may have misdiagnosed the problem; humans don’t do what we thought they did.” Matt’s blog post about how we might be overestimating how much human-like experience we can gain from knowledgebases.
This short clip from the film “Spinal Tap” should explain Matt’s reference to lukewarm water.

Topic 2: Automation; zero spotlight and doing fine?
Alan’s recent blog post discusses his thoughts on having visited Automation Anywhere’s “Imagine 2024” conference.