The democratization of artificial intelligence and machine learning is transforming information technology. Developers and operations teams can access intelligent tools to make sense of vast data sets and troubleshoot issues. Now AI and ML are trickling down to regular business people.

Intelligent experience technology is putting AI and ML in laymen’s hands. It is enabling them to transform the way actual business processes — not IT processes — are completed.

“No matter what apps that are being used to deliver that process, [it can] package that up into a micro app, and end users themselves will be able to build it,” said Keith Townsend (@CTOAdvisor), guest host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio.

Using AI, ML and automation to streamline and shrink down business processes holds a lot of potential. It could result in greater productivity and creativity. It could even eat a full day out of employees’ work week, some say.

Townsend spoke with co-host Lisa Martin (@LisaMartinTV) during the Citrix Synergy event in Atlanta, Georgia. They discussed the boon democratized AI and automation presents to employees, as well as possible challenges (see the full interview with transcript here). (* Disclosure below.)

Market for extra intel heats up

Being able to package business processes into micro apps sounds great — and it probably is in many cases. But when employees can do so, the number of tiny, targeted apps in a company’s system could reach iPhone proportions, according to Townsend.

“I can see that app proliferation being a problem in the enterprise,” he said.

Additionally, automated processes could grow stale and non-compliant. “If regulation changes and we continue to go along with the automated process and we’re in violation of a standard or a compliance law, we need someone to go in and quickly make a change. Who are these people?” Townsend asked.

The intelligent experience market is heating up. Leading robotic process automation software maker UiPath Inc. just closed a Series D investment round to the tune $568 million. And Citrix Systems Inc., known for networking and application virtualization, is pivoting into intelligent-experience technology with RPA and a partnership with Microsoft Corp.’s Azure cloud.

“I’m excited to hear in the next 6 months or so from those beta customers who’ve been testing out [Citrix] intelligent experience and seeing what other enhanced business outcomes they’re achieving,” Martin said.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the Citrix Synergy event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for Citrix Synergy 2019. Neither Citrix Systems Inc., the sponsor for theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: Citrix Systems Inc.