Contract workforce specialist Manpower has found a business
application for artificial intelligence - to help simplify and
accelerate the process by which it matches contractors with the
most appropriate jobs.
Customer relationship management systems have come under fire in
recent months because of poor returns on investment, but this
promises to change if applications using neural networks and other
artificial intelligence techniques live up to their promise.
Manpower is working with Ncorp's Ijen analytical software to
replicate the actions of an expert when finding suitable candidates
for a job vacancy.
The Powerbase.net system uses Ijen to improve on the current
SQL-based system, which will only find exact matches and not the
near misses that can be discerned using "fuzzy logic" capabilities
that let the human brain recognise, for example, that a bus and a
car are both vehicles despite differences in their appearance.
By applying the software to the aggregated data from Manpower's
1,400 branches in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Powerbase.net
increases the likelihood of finding a contractor that will prove to
be a perfect fit for the client company by selecting a range of
candidates that can then be presented to an expert for the final
choice.
Meanwhile SAS Institute is using similar artificial intelligence
techniques to help customers to sort through documents and e-mails
to filter out clues that might expose potential fraud.
The SAS software uses Inxight's engine to sift through text in, for
instance, an insurance claim to detect phrases and nuances that may
indicate that someone is lying.
Peter Dorrington, business solutions manager at SAS, explained that
the analysed text is given a probability rating and threshold
levels can be set for suspect documents to be forwarded to an
investigations department. The software could also be used to check
witnesses' statements in court cases.
Butler Group senior research analyst Mike Davis said, "There is an
increasing trend to embed intelligent decision-making software in
applications. This is proving to offer benefits both for customers
and staff because of the time these automated systems can
save."
After using the software to examine the Elizabethan play Henry
VIII, where authorship is disputed, SAS claims that there is a high
probability that it was indeed written by William Shakespeare.