Week 2 ChatGPT post

 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has become a cornerstone of modern business efficiency by automating repetitive, rule-based tasks across a wide range of industries. As described in Chapter 3, RPA relies on software bots, automation platforms, and well-defined processes to streamline workflows and reduce manual effort. From banking and insurance to healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, organizations use RPA to handle tasks such as data entry, claims processing, inventory management, and payroll. Platforms like Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism make it easier for businesses to design, deploy, and scale these bots, while RPA certifications help professionals build in-demand skills and gain a competitive edge in the job market.

The chapter also explains how software bots work and the different types that exist, ranging from simple rule-based bots to more advanced intelligent process automation bots that incorporate AI and machine learning. Rule-based bots excel at structured, repetitive tasks, while conversational bots interact with users through natural language. Intelligent bots go a step further by learning from data and making decisions, enabling more complex automation. Understanding these distinctions helps organizations choose the right automation approach and highlights why RPA is so effective at improving accuracy, reducing costs, and increasing operational efficiency when applied to the right processes.

Chapter 4 expands the discussion by comparing RPA with ChatGPT, emphasizing that the two technologies serve different but complementary roles. While RPA is precise, cost-effective, and ideal for structured tasks, ChatGPT excels at human-like communication, adaptability, and contextual understanding. In a medium-sized business, combining both technologies can create powerful results: RPA handles repetitive back-office work like invoices and data entry, while ChatGPT supports employees and customers through real-time assistance and decision support. Together, they form a balanced automation strategy that enhances productivity while still requiring thoughtful planning around maintenance, accuracy, security, and change management.

Week 2 Chapter 3/4

 In chapter three, I learned about RPA or Robotic Process Automation. RPA has three components, the first is software robots. These robots carry out processes with different applications like a human would, but with efficiency and faster than a human would. The next component is RPA tools and platforms. These tools make sure the robots are following the process that they are intended to. The third component is process automation, and this is actually putting the bots to work and making them perform the tasks that are needed. There are many industries that use RPA including banking, insurance, healthcare and manufacturing to name a few. One of my roommates works for State Farm and he has seen these RPA's put to use when he responding to claims. These bots are very prevalent and used more than we think. The bots work because of algorithms and rules that are put into place. These algorithms work because they come from AI or machine learning and they are able to adapt from previous data that it has received. One automation company Automation Anywhere says that it gets up to 80% of tasks done quicker. This adds up quickly and makes getting tasks done a lot easier and more efficiently. The last bit of the chapter talks about the benefits of getting an RPA certification and how it can differentiate you from other employees who don't have experience with RPA.

In chapter 4 we learn about the pros and cons of ChatGPT and RPA. One of the biggest strengths of Chat is that it is able to communicate with humans in conversation like way even though it is AI speaking and listening to prompts. Another pro of ChatGPT is that it remembers user's past conversations. This can not only help in terms of remembering past information that was learned from it, but it can adapt and give better answers because of the previous prompts and information that were given to it. One con of ChatGPT is that it can give inaccurate answers. I have a friend who is in accounting and while it is able to help with some of the number crunching it has given him wrong numbers before. It also has sensitivity in terms of how the user puts in a certain prompt. If the wording in the prompt isn't the greatest, it can give inaccurate answers as well. One pro of RPA is that it carries out task with minimal error in a way that a human could not. RPA also helps humans by letting them focus on other tasks because it is able to carry out tasks much more efficiently than a human would. The last pro is that it is able to be put into place with already existing technology. A con is that it has struggle adapting to changes and you would have to reprogram the RPA if there are changes. These bots need to be updated regularly if they want to function correctly. While there are challenges with both their uses are so beneficial for any company or individual.

Week 1 ChatGPT post

 The rapid rise of automation technologies in the 21st century is reshaping how organizations operate, compete, and innovate. As outlined in Chapter 1, automation has become essential for boosting productivity, reducing errors, and helping businesses remain competitive in a global marketplace. Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and software automation have made these tools more accessible and cost-effective than ever before. From industrial automation in manufacturing and supply chains to robotic process automation handling repetitive office tasks, automation allows employees to shift their focus toward higher-value, creative, and strategic work while organizations benefit from speed, precision, and scalability.

The chapter also highlights the broader forces driving automation’s importance, including rising global competition, labor shortages, and the need for continuous innovation. Automation not only cuts costs but also addresses demographic changes and skills gaps by supplementing human labor where it is scarce or inefficient. At the same time, it introduces important social and ethical considerations, such as workforce displacement and the growing need for reskilling and upskilling. Organizations that successfully adopt automation are those that balance technological efficiency with human development, ensuring employees are prepared to work alongside intelligent systems rather than be replaced by them.

Chapter 2 builds on this foundation by focusing on ChatGPT as a powerful example of conversational AI transforming workplace communication. By enabling natural, human-like interactions with machines, ChatGPT opens new possibilities for customer support, virtual assistance, content creation, training, and collaboration. It can answer questions, generate ideas, streamline workflows, and support employees in real time, making work faster and more intuitive. Together, these chapters illustrate how automation and AI are not just tools for efficiency, but catalysts for a smarter, more connected, and more innovative future of work.

Week 1 Chapter 1/2

Chapter one talks about the rise of automation technologies and how important they have become in so many different industries. Automation has been very useful because of how efficient it is and the fact that it erases a lot of human error. Because of automation's efficiency it helps employees work on other tasks and focus more on things where automation isn't able to help bring solutions. In chapter one, we learn about the three main types of automation, and these are industrial automation, robotic process automation, and artificial intelligence. I personally have a little experience with two out of the three types of automation. Two summers ago, I worked at a UPS factory as an unloader. While I wasn't behind any of the automation, I did see how industrial automation worked within the facility and how it was especially used in terms of supply chain management. This automation was used with the logistics of goods and making sure each package was accounted for. Another form was artificial intelligence. I have taken a couple other BALT classes and have been a ChatGPT+ user for over two years now. I have seen how efficient AI is and how it can make things so much easier for any user in many different fields. I have learned in previous classes that while AI is replacing some jobs it is also creating a lot of jobs and different opportunities for people and has been beneficial to people for many years now. Overall, these three types of automation have made a big impact on companies and the way they carry out things and that is why it is so important to have at least a little understanding of them and how they operate.

Chapter two specifically talks about ChatGPT and its many benefits. While I have been using ChatGPT for over two years I learned in the reading that it uses a deep learning technique called transformer architecture. This technique understands grammar, understanding context and semantics. Because of this technique, it is able to respond to the human user in a relevant way. The chapter reading talks about the many benefits it creates for employees like creating emails and managing their schedules. I personally have used Chat to draft prospective emails for me to different companies about openings they had. While I could do this myself, I feel much better using AI because of its efficiency and I feel it could draft a better email for me in terms of wording and grammar. Chat has many purposes and it will only keep coming up with more. All in all, Chat is becoming a prevalent source for strategies and solutions for employees and companies, and it is crucial to have an understanding of it because of its prevalence.