Why Intelligent Document Processing is Outdated?

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Intelligent Document Processing has redefined the age-old process of converting paper-based documents into digital formats. It uses a range of technologies to extract, classify, and validate information from different documents (such as emails, invoices, forms, or contracts) to optimize business processes. IDP solutions can greatly reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and boost efficiency in data extraction and basic document processing tasks. But that's all, nothing more.

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As we've discussed in our previous article, IDP is not a foolproof solution. It has its limitations, and these limits become even more evident when we look at the bigger picture of automation. Yes, IDP can read and extract data from your documents, but it cannot take any action on its own. And when it comes to understanding the context, it can't tell the difference between a horse and a dinosaur. In a word, it's not a complete solution for automating entire workflows.

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To fully automate your processes, you need more than just a smart document processing tool. You need an agentic AI that can think, learn, and take action. You need a solution that not only processes your documents but also understands the context, makes decisions, and automates your entire business workflow. This post will discuss why IDP is outdated and why agentic AI is the future of automation.

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Intelligent Document Processing (IDP): A Head Without a Body

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Image Credit: Pch.vector

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IDP (intelligent document processing) is a technology that automates the extraction, classification, and processing of data from different types of documents (e.g., PDFs, emails, images). It relies on a combination of technologies, like OCR, machine learning, and RPA, to do its job. So, how does intelligent document processing work? Well, let's simplify this into three straightforward steps:

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• Capture: First, it captures documents and categorizes them based on their type (invoice, receipt, contract etc). IDP uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to convert different documents (like scanned papers and digital images) into machine-readable text.
• Extraction: After classification, the system extracts relevant data from the documents using OCR and machine learning (ML). It identifies specific details like names, dates, amounts, or addresses.
• Process: Once extracted, IDP processes the data according to its intended purpose. It often utilizes Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to mechanically execute rigid workflows, like transferring data to ERP or other enterprise systems.

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Looks all well and good, right? But the truth is, IDP alone, without an agentic AI, is like a head without a body. It has the intelligence to extract and process data, but it lacks the context and ability to take action. IDP cannot adapt to changes(e.g new document formats or data fields), understand the meaning of specific data points, or handle documents in other languages, which would be required for full automation.

For example, if a sales order lists a customer's name as "J Smith" instead of "John Smith," IDP won't recognize the discrepancy. It simply does what it's programmed to do: extract data and move on. Every single time there's any change in the document structure or data type, your team will have to retrain the system, which can be time-consuming and unproductive.

From filling data into the ERP system and creating orders to communicating with clients, every action requires human intervention. IDP is just good at processing documents, that's it. But what about the rest of your workflow? Are you going to rely on other systems and manual labor to fill in the gaps?

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Agentic AI: A True Intelligent Automation Solution

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Image Credit: Freepik

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You can't automate a business by simply automating one small part of its processes; it takes more than that. You need a complete solution that can comprehend documents, understand the context, and autonomously execute tasks. And that's what an agentic AI like turian does. These artificial intelligence agents don't just automate; they think, learn, and act, just like a real human worker.

They leverage the power of large language models (LLMs), natural language processing (NLP), and deep learning (DL) to provide a truly intelligent automation solution. Here's why you should consider agentic AI over aging intelligent document processing (IDP) solutions:

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Contextual Understanding

Unlike IDP solutions that only focus on extracting data from documents, agentic AI understands the context and meaning behind the text. It goes beyond just reading out PDFs; it can read between the lines, understand relationships between data points, and comprehend unstructured data.

AI agents use natural language processing (NLP) to analyze documents, which enables them to understand the true intent and purpose of data. For example, if the sales order mentions "urgent delivery," an agentic AI will recognize this as a high-priority task and take action accordingly.

That's because it knows the difference between urgent and non-urgent tasks. Moreover, advanced AI solutions (like turian) also draft personalized responses to emails and generate reports in a way that sounds like a human did it, all within a matter of seconds. These AI agents even understand and process documents in most foreign languages, making them a truly global solution.

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Autonomous Decision-Making

As we've said, intelligent document processing (IDP) solutions can't adapt to changes  (e.g., new document types, layouts, or formats). Why? Because they use machine learning (ML) models, which are very narrow in their application. This means that for each subtask or new document type, you would need to create a completely new ML model. Agentic AI, on the other hand, leverages large language models (LLMs), which makes these models generalist agents, allowing them to accomplish a wide variety of tasks without major reconfiguration. Moreover, certain agentic models can learn from past experiences and feedback in real-time.

AI Agents can handle any data type, be it structured or unstructured, and every document format (e.g., PDF, Word, Excel) with accuracy and speed. They don't pull data from documents just like a robot; they analyze it, understand it, and make informed decisions. For example, if there's a discrepancy or error in the extracted data compared to what is saved in the ERP, an agentic AI will raise a red flag and notify the relevant team member.

AI agents (like turian) can also communicate with clients, suppliers, and colleagues to resolve issues or obtain missing information. But that's not the end of the story; they can also perform end-to-end tasks. They can fill data into your enterprise resource planning (ERP) or customer relationship management (CRM) systems and even initiate workflows to automate business processes across different applications. Now, that's what we call true intelligent automation!

From basic, repetitive tasks like manual data entry, validation, and data extraction to more complex tasks like customer service interactions, report generation, compliance management, and fraud detection – agentic AI can do it all with speed, accuracy, and a human-like level of understanding.

AI Agents give your team the time and space to focus on more significant tasks that require creativity, critical thinking, and human touch, tasks that add real value to your business and help it grow.

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Unleash the Full Potential of Intelligent Automation with turian

turian is not just a regular intelligent document processing (IDP) tool that reads and extracts information from different types of documents. It's much more than that. It's an agentic AI, a powerful assistant that understands nuances in human language and business context to automate complex processes seamlessly. With turian, businesses can achieve a level of efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in process automation that IDP solutions can't match. Our AI agents are powered by large language models (LLM) that enable them to think, understand, and act like humans.

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However, we know that LLMs are only a part of the equation. That's why we have built a sophisticated system around our models to ensure complete automation of your business processes. turian doesn't just excel at automating simple, repetitive tasks like data entry or PO management; it can also handle complex tasks that involve natural language processing.

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turian can draft emails based on your pior correspondence, communicate with clients, analyze complex documents (such as environmental compliance forms), and update your ERP/CRM systems, all autonomously. But what makes our agentic AI truly a game-changer is its ability to learn and improve over time. Through continuous learning from new data and feedback loops, turian adapts to your business needs and stays up-to-date with the latest requirements. 

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And the best part? Unlike IDP solutions that need to be trained for every specific task, turian is pre-trained and ready to work for your business right away. Within less than two weeks, it's up and running. You don't have to worry about tedious manual adjustments or integration with your existing systems.

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Our team will handle everything from initial setup to ongoing maintenance and support for you so you can focus on what really matters - growing your business. We are so confident in turian's abilities that we offer a proof of concept (PoC). It's free and without any obligations. If you don't want to end up with limited automation solutions, let turian take charge and unleash the full potential of intelligent automation for your business.

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