Showing 25 of 25 examples. Benefit tags describe the workflow; they do not imply verified cash savings.
01 / BankingExtract credit-agreement data in seconds
JPMorgan Chase · COiN
Machine learning + document extractionTimeResources
The work before
Analysts manually read credit agreements and extracted clauses.
What was automated
COiN identifies key attributes and clauses for structured review.
Seconds for extraction
The bank’s 2016 annual report described extracting 150 attributes from 12,000 annual agreements in seconds, against a manual-review workload of up to 360,000 hours a year.
Where the efficiency comes from
Extraction removes repeated reading and transcription, leaving exceptions for specialists.
Read the result correctly: The comparison concerns a defined extraction task, not end-to-end lending or verified payroll savings.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Pilot one document type and measure reviewer corrections and minutes per agreement.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Fast-track eligible pet claims
Lemonade · AI Jim
Conversational AI + claims workflowTimeResources
The work before
Staff collect claim information, invoices and medical records before assessment.
What was automated
An app guides submissions; AI supports review and instant processing for eligible claims.
50% of eligible claims instant
Lemonade states that 50% of eligible pet claims are processed instantly, while most others are resolved within five business days.
Where the efficiency comes from
Structured intake and automated handling reduce manual touches for suitable claims.
Read the result correctly: Eligibility matters. Complex cases can take longer; this is not a result for all insurance claims.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure straight-through processing, rework and complaints alongside turnaround time.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Engineers write control code, configure sensors and prepare machine documentation.
What was automated
Industrial Copilot drafts code, visualisations and repetitive engineering content for review.
30-second panel visualisations
Siemens reported panel visualisations created in 30 seconds and generated code requiring 20% adaptation; its report describes use in a thyssenkrupp battery-inspection machine.
Where the efficiency comes from
A draft replaces a blank screen, reducing repetitive configuration and information search.
Read the result correctly: The 20% adaptation claim is not an 80% saving in total engineering hours; safety testing remains essential.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Test one non-critical screen and compare total design, review and validation effort.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeQuality
The work before
Personal shoppers manually weigh product alternatives when an item is unavailable.
What was automated
A model considers product, shopper and inventory information, suggests an alternative and shows its location.
Over 95% substitution acceptance
Walmart reported substitution acceptance above 95% after deployment and described faster, easier order preparation.
Where the efficiency comes from
Better recommendations reduce guessing and the effort spent finding replacement items.
Read the result correctly: Acceptance is a quality measure, not a percentage reduction in labour or cost; no time saving is quantified here.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Track pick time, rejected substitutions and customer satisfaction together.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Clinicians manually write or type encounter notes into the electronic health record.
What was automated
An ambient AI scribe drafts notes from encounters for clinician review.
6.89 fewer documentation min/day
A three-month study of 45 physicians reported median daily documentation time decreasing by 6.89 minutes and median total EHR time by 19.95 minutes versus baseline.
Where the efficiency comes from
Drafting shifts effort from creating notes to checking and correcting them.
Read the result correctly: The study reported substantial variation between users; this was not a randomised guarantee of benefit or better diagnosis.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Assess consent, note accuracy, correction effort and clinician time before expansion.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Reduce unnecessary walking during picking
DHL Supply Chain · IDEA
Algorithmic optimisation / AI planningTimeResources
The work before
Pick routes and work allocation create avoidable walking between items.
What was automated
Software clusters orders, sequences picking routes and allocates work.
Up to 50% less picking travel
DHL reported up to 50% less employee travel distance and up to 30% higher productivity at individual sites in first commercial deployments.
Where the efficiency comes from
Better sequencing uses existing staff and warehouse layouts more effectively.
Read the result correctly: These are site-specific upper-bound results from optimisation software, not savings for every warehouse or a chatbot result.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare travel distance per order, pick accuracy and throughput on similar shifts.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
CostResources
The work before
Broadcast application treats a broad field area, including places without target weeds.
What was automated
Cameras identify weeds and trigger targeted spraying.
Nearly 50% less non-residual herbicide
John Deere reported that customers reduced non-residual herbicide use by an average of nearly 50% in 2025.
Where the efficiency comes from
Targeting reduces chemical use and associated input requirements.
Read the result correctly: This is herbicide-use reduction, not a 50% reduction in total farm costs. Weed pressure, crop and field conditions matter.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare chemical use per acre, treatment effectiveness and equipment costs on matched fields.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Answer routine guest questions around the clock
Hilton China · Xiao Xi
Conversational AITimeResources
The work before
Guest-service teams repeatedly answer questions on hotels, loyalty and travel details.
What was automated
A chatbot provides routine information through Hilton’s China digital channels.
50,000+ inquiries handled
Hilton’s 2020 launch report stated that Xiao Xi had answered over 50,000 inquiries, with a reported 94% customer satisfaction rating.
Where the efficiency comes from
Self-service gives guests immediate access to routine information and can reduce repetitive staff queries.
Read the result correctly: Inquiry volume and satisfaction do not establish staff-hour or cost savings. This is a historical regional deployment.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Start with verified FAQs and measure response time, escalation and answer accuracy.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Travel advisors spend time handling routine service questions and booking-related requests.
What was automated
A virtual agent handles suitable queries and leaves complex situations to people.
60% of service queries automated
Expedia TAAP stated in February 2026 that its Virtual Agent resolves 60% of service queries automatically.
Where the efficiency comes from
Automated resolution reduces the routine service workload requiring advisor attention.
Read the result correctly: The reported share applies to the described service, not every travel business; no net cost saving is disclosed.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure successful resolutions, repeat contacts and advisor intervention per query.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeQuality
The work before
Customers may need repeated contacts to arrange installations or repairs.
What was automated
The assistant understands conversational requests, collects details and supports appointment booking.
First-time resolution: 15% → 60%
Vodafone reported first-time resolution rising from 15% to 60% for the appointment-booking journey in Portugal.
Where the efficiency comes from
Resolving the request in one interaction reduces avoidable follow-up work.
Read the result correctly: This is one country and journey: a 45-percentage-point rise, not proof of equivalent call-centre cost savings.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare first-contact resolution, repeat contacts and successful appointments.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Use less electricity for cooling
Google / DeepMind
Machine learning + control optimisationCostResources
The work before
Operators tune complex cooling systems with interacting temperature and pressure constraints.
What was automated
Models predict conditions and help optimise cooling settings.
Up to 40% less cooling energy
DeepMind reported up to 40% less energy used for cooling in its 2016 work with Google data centres.
Where the efficiency comes from
Optimised settings reduce the energy required for a defined operational function.
Read the result correctly: The result concerns cooling energy, not all data-centre electricity or total operating expenditure.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Evaluate cooling kWh, operating conditions and reliability against an agreed baseline.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeCostResources
The work before
Fixed maintenance intervals can replace healthy parts; reactive maintenance waits for a fault.
What was automated
Models examine equipment signals and flag unusual patterns for engineers to investigate.
Earlier fault detection
Shell describes predictive-maintenance deployment to improve reliability and avoid unplanned downtime; the cited overview does not provide a single verified saving percentage.
Where the efficiency comes from
Earlier warning enables planned intervention rather than disruptive emergency work.
Read the result correctly: Avoided cost is a benefit mechanism, not a quantified realised saving in this source. Engineers must validate alerts.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure warning lead time, false alarms and unplanned downtime hours.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
CostResources
The work before
Conventional haulage relies on on-board drivers and vehicle operating routines.
What was automated
A supervisory system coordinates trucks over defined routes using fleet-location information.
15% lower truck costs, reported
Rio Tinto estimated that in 2018 each autonomous truck operated 700 more hours on average than conventional trucks, with 15% lower costs.
Where the efficiency comes from
Coordinated autonomous operation increases equipment utilisation and changes staffing requirements.
Read the result correctly: Historical truck-level estimates are not total mine-cost savings. Supervision, maintenance and safety systems remain necessary.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare cost per tonne, utilisation, maintenance and incident rates.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Automate progress collection and reporting
NCC / Buildots
Computer vision + progress analyticsTimeResources
The work before
Teams collect site updates manually and reconcile subjective reports.
What was automated
Captured site imagery is analysed against planned work to create progress information.
70% less manual-reporting time
Buildots’ NCC case study reports 70% less time spent on manual reporting and over 70% less time collecting and analysing data.
Where the efficiency comes from
Automatically captured progress reduces repeated site-note and spreadsheet consolidation.
Read the result correctly: Vendor-reported project results do not show a 70% reduction in construction labour or total project cost.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure reporting hours, coverage, disputed updates and rework on one project area.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Teachers and teaching assistants answer similar student questions repeatedly.
What was automated
A virtual teaching assistant answers suitable questions using instructor-provided course documents.
Routine Q&A assistance
Georgia Tech describes a course-grounded assistant answering student questions and expects it to reduce routine instructional workload. The cited report does not quantify staff hours saved.
Where the efficiency comes from
A reusable answer service lets educators focus attention on questions needing personal support.
Read the result correctly: Course-specific accuracy and usage matter; automated answers do not demonstrate better learning outcomes by themselves.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Pilot one syllabus, audit responses and track escalations and teaching time.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Lawyers search documents, assemble drafts and examine large volumes of material.
What was automated
Harvey assists with content generation and analysis, with lawyer review.
Drafting and analysis assistance
The firm’s 2023 launch report describes trial use across day-to-day work and faster, more cost-effective service; it does not disclose a controlled time-saving percentage.
Where the efficiency comes from
A first draft or targeted document analysis reduces some repetitive preparation work.
Read the result correctly: Legal verification and professional responsibility remain with lawyers; query volume is not a measure of savings.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Time a defined document-review task including source checks and revisions.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeQuality
The work before
Audit teams scope controls, conduct walkthroughs, prepare test steps and write testing narratives.
What was automated
AI assists control-gap analysis, walkthrough documentation and automated control-testing narratives.
Deadlines met without adding staff
PwC reports that the client reduced testing hours and rework while meeting deadlines without adding staff. No percentage or monetary saving is disclosed.
Where the efficiency comes from
Automating repetitive test documentation releases reviewer capacity and reduces repeat preparation.
Read the result correctly: The client is unnamed and results are provider-reported. AI outputs and underlying evidence still need validation.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Pilot one control with approved evidence; compare preparation time, review time and errors.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Researchers iteratively identify targets, design compounds and test candidates.
What was automated
AI models help prioritise targets and generate candidate structures for laboratory testing.
Under 18 months to candidate
Insilico reported reaching a preclinical candidate in under 18 months with a stated budget of about US$2.6 million for the described early programme.
Where the efficiency comes from
Prioritisation can focus synthesis and testing on a narrower set of candidates.
Read the result correctly: This is not the time or total cost to develop an approved medicine. Clinical trials, failures and later costs are excluded.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Track experiments per candidate, validation quality and stage-specific expenditure.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Journalists repeatedly transform earnings figures into short standardised reports.
What was automated
A generation system turns structured financial data into routine stories.
About 10× routine-story coverage
AP reported producing over 3,000 quarterly earnings stories, about ten times the earlier volume, while freeing an estimated 20% of staff time previously devoted to those reports.
Where the efficiency comes from
Automated writing expands repetitive coverage and releases time for reporting.
Read the result correctly: This is structured-data automation, not modern free-form generative AI. The time estimate is not 20% of all newsroom work.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Test data validation, corrections and editorial time per standard report.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeCostResources
The work before
Teams reshoot product variants, packaging and market-specific imagery.
What was automated
A digital product asset is reused to create and adapt imagery.
2× faster; 50% cheaper imagery
Unilever reported product imagery produced twice as fast and 50% cheaper through its digital-twin and AI approach.
Where the efficiency comes from
Reusing one product asset reduces repeated studio setup and variant production.
Read the result correctly: The figures concern the described imagery workflow, not all marketing spend; asset setup and approval still require resources.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare cost per approved asset, production time and brand-quality corrections.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
Take drive-through orders with an AI assistant
Wendy’s · FreshAI
Conversational generative AITimeResources
The work before
A crew member takes and enters each spoken order.
What was automated
The assistant handles conversational orders and customisations, with crew intervention when needed.
86% handled without intervention
Wendy’s reported that in its 2023 pilot, 86% of orders were successfully handled without restaurant team-member intervention.
Where the efficiency comes from
Crew attention can shift from routine order entry to preparation and customer service.
Read the result correctly: The pilot figure is not an 86% labour saving or a result for every restaurant. Human handoff remains important.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure handoffs, order corrections, queue times and total crew workload.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeCostQuality
The work before
Apparent defects trigger manual inspections and repeat test runs.
What was automated
Models distinguish real faults from dust, oil residues or insignificant measurement variations.
Fewer unnecessary inspections
BMW describes reducing false-defect flags and avoiding unnecessary manual inspections and repeat engine tests; no overall saving percentage is disclosed in the cited report.
Where the efficiency comes from
More selective alerts reduce the reinspection and testing caused by false positives.
Read the result correctly: False-negative rates also need monitoring; fewer alerts alone do not prove better quality.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Track false positives, escaped defects, reinspection hours and test resources.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeCost
The work before
Unanticipated component faults cause technical delays and urgent maintenance.
What was automated
Models identify signs of degradation so engineers can plan component replacement.
Technical delays prevented
In its June 2017 trial report, easyJet described using the platform to identify developing faults and replace components during routine maintenance before disruption occurred.
Where the efficiency comes from
Planned intervention can avoid disruption and improve maintenance scheduling.
Read the result correctly: The source does not quantify total cost savings or prove that all technical delays can be eliminated.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure avoided disruptions with engineering validation and track parts and maintenance costs.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
TimeResources
The work before
Civil servants draft text, summarise meetings and search for information manually.
What was automated
An assistant supports drafting, summarisation and information retrieval within office workflows.
26 minutes/day, self-reported
The 2025 cross-government findings report states average savings of 26 minutes per day among trial participants.
Where the efficiency comes from
Less routine office effort can create capacity for other public-service work.
Read the result correctly: Time savings were self-reported and varied by activity. They are not audited cash savings or an automatic workforce reduction.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Measure total task time, corrections, adoption and service outcomes in a bounded trial.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.
ResourcesCost
The work before
A sorting line depends on repeated manual identification and separation.
What was automated
AI recognises materials and directs sorting machinery, with people maintaining and monitoring the system.
Manual sortation automated
AMP’s 2025 case report describes automated sorting without manual sortation and a small team for checks and maintenance.
Where the efficiency comes from
Automating repeated picking changes labour needs on the sorting line and supports consistent processing.
Read the result correctly: No manual sorting does not mean no employees or zero operating costs; the account is vendor-reported.
How to apply the lesson
Suggested pilot: Compare recovery rate, contamination, uptime and cost per tonne including maintenance.
This pilot is an editorial suggestion, not an activity reported by the organisation.