Pegasystems debuts AI coach to guide and mentor employees

IT software provider Pegasystems Inc. is enhancing its Pega Infinity portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI) tools with the launch of a generative AI-powered “employee mentor” called Pega GenAI Coach.
 
The company announced the release of Pega GenAI Coach as part of the Pega Infinity 24.1 update. This tool is specifically designed to provide proactive guidance to workers, helping them achieve better results in their tasks. It seamlessly integrates with every employee's workflow, analysing their goals and offering intelligent advice to help them accomplish their objectives more efficiently, Pega said in a statement.
 
According to Pegasystems, generative AI has already shown its potential to help employees perform various work-related tasks. However, one of the challenges is that most generative AI assistants are disconnected from their users' workflows, making it difficult to get relevant answers in the context of their tasks.
 
By integrating with each user’s workflow, Pega GenAI Coach can resolve these challenges. Additionally, team managers can use this workflow integration to stay informed about their workers’ progress.
 
Pegasystems explained that each GenAI Coach can be extensively configured to understand the exact objectives each user is trying to achieve. It cited several use cases, such as optimising sales team performances by analysing opportunities, leads, contacts, and interaction data within the Pega Sales Automation platform. By analysing this information, the company can offer concise suggestions to help overcome barriers preventing deals from moving forward.
 
Pega GenAI Coach can also assist back-office staff by providing personalized tips and recommendations based on its deep understanding of procedural rules, regulatory requirements, and case data. It also has applications in industry verticals such as healthcare, where it can quickly resolve claims by summarizing the customer’s claim, insurance plan, and history.
 
According to Pegasystems, Pega GenAI Coach’s powerful capabilities are enhanced by its deep integration into its existing suite of AI tools available in Pega Infinity. For instance, it leverages the statistical prediction capabilities of Pega Process AI to avoid fines related to missed deadlines. Furthermore, it integrates with Pega GenAI Knowledge Buddy to provide relevant organizational knowledge to customer support team members.
 
Chief Product Officer Kerim Akgonul said the main advantage of the new offering is that it speeds up progress. Normally, when an employee faces a problem and cannot find the answers they’re looking for, they will turn to a senior manager for advice. However, this can take time since their managers aren’t always immediately accessible. “Pega GenAI Coach uses generative AI to provide the high-quality guidance of an experienced senior manager in a quickly accessible format, so employees can get work done better and faster than ever before,” he said.
 
Pega GenAI Coach was released after Pega GenAI Blueprint made its debut in February. This generative AI tool was among the company's initial offerings, allowing users to turn their ideas into real applications. If an employee has been dreaming of a particular app to streamline a manual task, they can simply outline how they envision it working. The tool will then provide a blueprint for creating that app, utilizing Pega's low-code development tools.
 
In recent times, GenAI has emerged as a transformative force, revolutionizing the way we work, live, and learn. A Harvard University study last year suggests that timely and informative feedback can have a major positive impact on employees’ learning. The study also found that employees found studying with ChatGPT more effective than studying with a human tutor. However, the report also highlighted that despite student enthusiasm experts warn that ChatGPT might not be an effective replacement for tutors.