As we progress further into the age of technology, AI agents have become a well-known concept. These software programs have the capability to act independently in completing various tasks. However, Asana has taken a unique approach to incorporating AI into the workplace. The company recently announced the beta version of their ‘AI teammates,’ with the aim of streamlining work processes within organizations.
“We deliberately chose the term ‘AI teammates’ to shift the way people think about interacting with AI in a professional environment,” said Paige Costello, head of AI at Asana, in an interview with TechCrunch. “We believe that the future of work involves humans not just working together, but also collaborating with AI.”
One of the main goals of this AI integration is to promote transparency and organization within businesses. Asana’s AI teammates can be customized to perform specific tasks and keep track of their actions, providing valuable insights for companies.
But what exactly does this look like in practice? According to Costello, previous workflow tools have been limited in their capabilities. Asana’s AI teammates, on the other hand, offer a more flexible approach to managing work. For instance, as new tasks come in, the AI can evaluate the current state and determine whether it can move forward or if more information is needed from a human employee.
This could involve the AI teammate using generative AI to assist the employee in writing a help ticket with missing or inadequate information. Afterwards, the ticket is directed to the appropriate person for resolution.
Asana’s extensive collection of data on work processes, known as the work graph, serves as a valuable resource in training their AI models. This helps ensure that the AI is making the right decisions and taking the company’s values and methods into account.
Nevertheless, Asana recognizes that the human touch is still important and encourages their clients to remain involved in the process. “Human in the loop” is a core principle at Asana, where humans ultimately have the responsibility and accountability for decisions and results.
The company has been able to achieve a high degree of accuracy in certain workflows, but they acknowledge that there may be challenges as they move towards implementation on a larger scale. However, with their knowledge on how companies operate through their work graph, Asana is confident in their ability to successfully integrate AI to assist in work processes.
In the end, data is crucial in building accurate models, making Asana, with their deep understanding of how businesses function, well-equipped to help move work through various stages in a more intelligent manner.
