We Love Ugly Data! The Deep Analysis Podcast - Episode 20 October 2024

The twentieth episode of the podcast that you know and love as "We Love Ugly Data!" is out; available in audio form everywhere you get your podcasts from and additionally 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 just below the embedded video. Matt and Alan are back again, this time discussing; the latest vendor research reports on DRUID, M-Files and Writer, how automation and AI agents are friends forever and the (really positive) state of the automation software market in Brazil.

In this month's episode:

Topic 1: New Vendor Research!

First up, Matt and Alan discuss the recently published set of vendor profiles (or whatever it is we're supposed to call them these days). DRUID is up first; an all-in-one platform for the development of conversational AI assistants and agents, which can be embedded into business processes. M-Files is a Microsoft-focused knowledge work automation that provides an innovative “no-folders” approach to document and knowledge management. Finally, Writer enables enterprises to create custom GenAI applications to assist workers in producing precise, detailed, and compliant content which can be plugged into routine tasks to help streamline processes (it's also out there raising an apparently huge funding round right now and - as Alan notes - is also an acquisition target right now too). Matt also mention Writer is one of a host of vendors now using synthetic data to speed up development new models (with all the potential issues that creates).

Topic 2: AI Agents and Automation; forever friends

Following on from last month's discussion about AI Agents in the run-up to Salesforce's Dreamforce conference, Matt's published something wrapping up how integral automation (think workflow, RPA etc) is to the success of any AI Agent exercise and the pair discuss their takes on how those efforts might play out for those looking to adopt. There's a chance to have a look at the Agentforce announcements in the rear-view mirror, reviewing the takes from Matt in his home office at the east Kent seaside and Alan on the ground in San Francisco.

Topic 3: Automation in Brazil

Back in August Alan visited Brazil to speak and catch-up with the state of the automation software market in the country (the world's 8th or 9th biggest economy, depending on whether you're using the IMF of the World Bank's numbers). Turns out that it is thriving and in the context of the other discussions about AI Agents, this puts the country in a potentially advantageous position.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkvWyu0e1s4 

Show notes for Series 3, Episode 10.

Topic 1: New Vendor Research!
"New Research Dropping Today" blog post (with summaries of the three profiles).
The Deep Analysis vendor research database; links to all the vendor research we've published (you can browse as a non subscriber, but you'll need to be a subscriber to get the full reports).
The CNBC report "AI startup Writer, currently fundraising at a $1.9