AI combs through mountains of data

This is a photo of three individuals who are in the middle of a hackathon run by the AI Competence Centre, where interdisciplinary Geberit teams develop AI agents. (Photo)

Together with the in-house AI Competence Centre at Geberit, interdisciplinary Geberit teams develop AI agents that automate workflows and make everyday work more efficient.

“I can analyse large volumes of data quickly and recognise patterns,” explains the Microsoft Copilot – a digital assistant based on artificial intelligence (AI) – when asked about the strengths of this technology. But how can this potential be utilised? In 2024, Geberit establishes an in-house AI Competence Centre. The team of experts organises hackathons where employees rapidly develop real applications – such as AI agents that carry out tasks independently.

Working together: at the hackathon, the AI Competence Centre cooperates with other departments on developing specific process optimisations using AI. (Photo) — Working together: at the hackathon, the AI Competence Centre cooperates with other departments on developing specific process optimisations using AI.

Complete knowledge available

One of the first projects is the partial automation of responses to external enquiries about sustainability. The reporting obligations in this field are constantly increasing, with rating platforms requiring up to 500 precise answers on the sustainability performance of a company, based on numerous documents. “An AI agent taps into our complete knowledge of environmental, social and economic sustainability and can help to answer the many questions precisely and in a verifiable way,” says Iwona Swietlik, who is responsible for communication and reporting on sustainability.

More time for what’s important

For François Rüf, Head of the AI Competence Centre, the hackathons are good examples of how artificial intelligence can partially automate repetitive tasks: “Our experts can then concentrate on more important tasks instead of spending time looking for information.”