Enhancing Business Intelligence and process efficiency with Microsoft AI Builder

June 12, 2024

With the widespread emergence of Generative AI models, such as ChatGPT, the AI technology landscape has been revolutionized, offering remarkable opportunities for automation and innovation across various industries. These advanced models have demonstrated exceptional capabilities in understanding and generating human-like text, transforming how businesses interact with customers, create content, and streamline operations. As AI becomes more integrated into everyday business processes, platforms that facilitate adopting and deploying these technologies are in high demand.

A survey reveals that 97% of business leaders with revenues of at least $1 billion plan to invest in Generative AI over the next 12 months. Additionally, 43% of these leaders are prepared to invest $100 million or more to remain competitive. However, the technical complexities associated with building and deploying custom AI models can hinder these ambitions. One such platform that is making significant strides in the domain is Microsoft AI Builder, a feature within the Microsoft Power Platform that empowers organizations to harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) without needing extensive coding knowledge. This bridges the gap between cutting-edge technology and everyday business needs, unlocking the transformative potential of AI for a wider range of users and organizations.

This blog post provides a detailed overview of Power Platform AI Builder capabilities and models businesses can leverage to become more efficient and accelerate their workflow.

What is a Microsoft Power Platform AI Builder?

Power Platform AI Builder is a Microsoft tool that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities into the Power Platform suite, including Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Microsoft Copilot Studio (previously known as Power Virtual Agents). Each of these AI-powered services in Power Platform helps in decision-making and automating the digital business workflow.

As part of the Power Platform suite, Microsoft AI Builder takes a low code approach to build AI models that can automate processes, predict outcomes, and boost business performance, that too without any prior coding experience. AI Builder is an easy solution for everyone to leverage Microsoft’s powerful AI technology through a point-and-click interface. It is directly integrated into Power Apps and Power Automate. This integration allows users to enhance their applications and processes with AI capabilities without leaving the Power Platform environment.

With Azure AI’s advanced capabilities, Power Platform AI Builder provides the tools to train and create models, enriching your business applications using data from Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Dataverse. AI Builder gives users two options: either build a custom AI model that’s perfect for their specific needs or grab a pre-made model ready for common business tasks. This way, users can choose the approach that best suits their project.

AI Builder models in Microsoft Power Platform

In AI Builder, you can select from various model types tailored to different business needs. The table below outlines the data type, model type, and build type:

  • Data type: Indicates the kind of AI the models utilize (e.g., documents, text, structured data, or images).
  • Build type: Specifies whether the model is customizable, requiring you to build, train, and publish it for your specific needs or if it’s a prebuilt model ready for immediate use.

Generally, custom AI Builder models are best suited for applications involving data unique to your business, while prebuilt models are ideal for scenarios common across various business types.

Adding intelligence to your business with Microsoft AI Builder

Microsoft AI Builder empowers businesses to seamlessly integrate Artificial Intelligence into their operations, enhancing efficiency, accuracy, and decision-making capabilities. Here’s an in-depth guide on how to leverage this tool to its fullest potential.

1: Identify business needs

Begin by pinpointing the areas in your business that could benefit from AI integration. This could involve automating repetitive tasks, improving data processing, enhancing customer service, or gaining insights from large datasets. The key is to focus on processes where AI can provide substantial value and improve overall productivity.

2: Choose the right model

AI Builder offers various models suited to different business needs. Here’s a closer look at some options:

  • Object detection: Use this model to identify and categorize objects within images. It’s particularly useful for inventory management, quality control in manufacturing, and other scenarios requiring visual recognition.

Example: A retail company can use object detection to automatically track and manage inventory by identifying products in warehouse images.

  • Receipt scanning: Automate the processing of business receipts with a prebuilt model designed to extract information from scanned receipts. This streamlines expense report management.

Example: A finance department can save time by automating data extraction from receipts for expense reports, reducing manual entry and errors.

  • Prediction models: These utilize historical data to predict future outcomes, such as sales trends, customer behavior, or market demand. They are customizable to fit your specific business requirements.

Example: A marketing team can use a prediction model to analyze past campaign data and forecast the success of future campaigns, enabling better budget allocation and strategy planning.

3: Customize or use prebuilt models

Decide whether a custom or prebuilt model is more suitable for your needs:

  • Custom models: These are ideal when working with data unique to your business. Custom models require you to build, train, and publish them to tailor to your needs. They offer greater flexibility and can be fine-tuned for optimal performance.

Example: A healthcare provider might develop a custom model to analyze patient data and predict potential health risks, providing personalized care plans.

  • Prebuilt models: These models are ready-to-use and designed for common business scenarios. They are quick to implement and do not require extensive customization, making them suitable for immediate deployment.

Example: A customer service department can use a prebuilt text analysis model to categorize and prioritize support tickets based on urgency automatically.

4: Integrate AI models into business processes

Seamlessly integrate the chosen AI models into your existing workflows. This integration can automate various processes, enhance decision-making, and improve overall operational efficiency.

Example: An HR department can integrate a prebuilt form processing model to automatically extract and process data from job applications, speeding up the recruitment process.

5: Monitor and optimize for optimal performance

It is crucial to maintain the effectiveness of your AI models. Review their performance regularly, analyze the results, and make necessary adjustments to ensure they continue to meet your business needs.

Example: A retail business can monitor the accuracy of its sales prediction model and adjust parameters to improve its forecasting accuracy over time.

Benefits of using an AI Builder

In the growing Generative AI market, Implementing AI Builder can bring numerous advantages to your business. It empowers businesses to integrate artificial intelligence into their applications and workflows effortlessly. Some of its key benefits include:

  • Enhanced efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks, reducing the time and effort required for manual processes. This allows your team to focus on higher-value activities.
  • Increased accuracy: Leverage AI for precise data processing and analysis, minimizing errors and ensuring reliable results.
  • Improved decision-making: Gain valuable insights from AI-generated data, enabling you to make informed, strategic business decisions.
  • Scalability: Easily adapt AI models as your business grows and evolves. AI Builder’s flexible and customizable solutions can scale with your organization’s needs.

By integrating Microsoft AI Builder into your business operations, you can unlock new levels of efficiency, accuracy, and strategic insight, driving your business forward in today’s competitive landscape.

AI Builder as a game changer for businesses

The emergence of AI-driven platforms like Microsoft Power Platform AI Builder signifies a transformative shift in business process automation. Both Power Apps AI Builder and Power Automate AI Builder democratize AI development, empowering a broader range of businesses and users to make the most out of it. This translates to tangible benefits, including enhanced efficiency, streamlined workflows, and a significant boost in overall productivity. Therefore, the transformative impact of AI Builder is evident in how it helps companies innovate and stay competitive in an increasingly digital world.

Moreover, as we move forward, the importance of AI in business operations will only grow, and embracing this technology will bring you success without any significant challenges. To fully maximize the potential of Microsoft Power Platform for your business, Confiz offers comprehensive services to help you integrate and maximize these powerful tools. Let us help you transform your operations and achieve new heights of efficiency and productivity. Contact us now at marketing@confiz.com.