7 low code platforms embracing AI

In addition to Microsoft’s AI Builder, which brings focused and generative AI and machine learning capabilities to Power Apps and Power Automate, a number of other companies are adding AI capabilities to their low-code and no-code software development and robotic process automation products.

Note that we’re not considering low-code and no-code AI and machine learning development here, such as you’ll find in Amazon SageMaker, DataRobot, Google Cloud AutoML, and Dataiku. That’s another kettle of fish.

Airtable, which I reviewed in 2022, announced earlier this year that it was adding unspecified AI capabilities to its product. In June, Airtable opened this feature set to selected enterprises in a customer beta program. Airtable AI initially launched with generative foundation models provided by OpenAI, the developer of GPT.

According to Airtable, “Product teams can add an AI component to their roadmap app to instantly generate a product spec. Marketing teams can connect an AI component to their requests app that will write thoughtful, thorough creative briefs that speed up the marketing creative handoff. And HR teams will be able to automatically generate job descriptions for any of their open roles simply by adding an AI component to their hiring pipeline app.”

The Appian Platform for process automation provides a unified and low-code design experience. Appian 23.2 includes three AI skills: Document Classification, Document Extraction, and Email Classification. The Document Classification AI Skill enables you to automatically classify and route documents. The Email Classification AI Skill lets you build a custom machine learning model that classifies emails based on business-specific labels, making it easy to route email messages to the correct team or aid in case creation. The Document Extraction AI Skill enables you to automatically extract important text from structured documents so you can use that data in your applications with little effort. Appian 23.3 will include Appian AI Copilot, which promises to bring a generative AI chat interface to forms design and process modeling.

In May, Creatio announced that it is integrating a ChatGPT connector into its Creatio Atlas low-code platform and customer relationship management (CRM) products. That connector augments the predictive machine learning models already built into Creatio Atlas.

Creatio’s predictive models include lookup value prediction (classification), numeric prediction (regression), predictive scoring, recommendation, and similar text search. The ChatGPT connector calls the gpt-3.5-turbo model API, charges you for usage, and supports use cases that include knowledgebase Q&A, content creation, language translation, personal assistants, and email generation.

Mendix offers AI-assisted development (AIAD) and AI for smart apps as part of its low-code application development platform. AIAD is also called Mendix Assist, which currently consists of two virtual co-developer bots: MxAssist Logic Bot and MxAssist Performance Bot. The smart apps capabilities include an AWS service connector and the Mendix ML Kit.

MxAssist Logic Bot is an AI-powered virtual co-developer that guides you through modeling and configuring your application logic (microflows). It gives you a real-time and context-driven list of the next best actions based on the application logic already designed and other context-related information. MxAssist Performance Bot is an intelligent virtual co-developer that assists you in improving the performance of your app by inspecting your app project model against Mendix development best practices while you are building your application in Mendix Studio Pro.

The OutSystems AI Mentor System is a set of AI-based development and quality analysis tools that is intended to support teams throughout the software development lifecycle. The OutSystems AI Mentor System includes a code mentor, an architecture mentor, a security mentor, a performance mentor, and a maintainability mentor, which provide coding assistance and check for architectural, security, performance, and maintainability issues.

OutSystems also offers an Azure ChatGPT connector in its Forge repository, allowing you to tap Azure ChatGPT for code completions, chat completions, and embeddings, i.e. vector representations of inputs that can be used in machine learning models. OutSystems suggests using Azure ChatGPT to provide personalized recommendations, power virtual assistants, and summarize and compare documents such as insurance policies, legal documents, and financial documents.

The Pega low-code platform includes Pega AI and Pega GenAI. Pega AI powers “decisioning” using event monitoring, process mining, speech-to-text, and natural language processing. It helps you evaluate data and actions, predict outcomes, and make decisions in real time using decision strategies, machine learning, and adaptive analytics. Pega GenAI generates workflow stages and steps, maps integrations to back-end systems, generates test data on-the-fly, and guides developers with conversational suggestions.

One of the “big three” RPA (robotic process automation) products, along with Blue Prism and Automation Anywhere, UiPath has incorporated machine learning in its advanced processes for years. UiPath now includes an AI Center that allows you to train, evaluate, deploy, and re-train machine learning models for use with RPA. AI Center supports importing your own models as well as using UiPath’s and third-party pre-trained models for image analysis, language analysis, language comprehension, language translation, and tabular data.

As we’ve seen, many low-code and no-code development and RPA platforms now include AI capabilities, often using a version of GPT. Certainly more will follow. Microsoft Power Platform continues to be a leader in this area, at least partly because of its close relationship with OpenAI, and the existing AI and machine learning services available on Microsoft Azure.

Copyright © 2023 IDG Communications, Inc.

Blue Prism Group PLC

Blue Prism invented the term Robotic Process Automation. Its software platform enables business operations to be agile and cost-effective through rapid automation of manual, rules-based, back-office administrative processes, reducing cost and improving accuracy by creating a “virtual workforce”.The virtual workforce is built by the operational teams or accredited Blue Prism partners using the company's robotic process automation technology to rapidly build and deploy automation through leveraging the presentation layer of existing enterprise applications. The automation schemes are configured and managed within an IT governed framework and operating model that has been iteratively developed through numerous large scale and complex deployments.

Study indicates blue light filtering glasses have little benefit for most: 3 eye-healthy habits to adapt instead

Study indicates blue light filtering glasses have little benefit for most: 3 eye-healthy habits to adapt instead

While many people have noticed excessive screen time can result in tired feeling eyes and may affect sleep, a new study questions the role of blue light in this phenomenon.

Blue light is part of the visible spectrum of light and is emitted from the sun, and to a lesser extent, from their screens.

Despite experts warning that there is a lack of evidence to support the benefits claimed by their use, blue-light-filtering lenses have remained popular for eye health, with an increase in demand during the pandemic when most shifted their lives onto screens.

"Blue light filtration typically refers to a coating, which can be applied to corrective prescription lenses or plain lenses," Dr. Jen Tsai, an optometrist in New York City and founder of Line of Sight, told ABC News.

A large review of existing clinical trials published this week found that blue-light-filtering glasses did not show any reproducible short-term benefit in terms of eye strain or eye health, and had mixed or inconclusive results regarding sleep quality.

The review looked at 17 studies comparing use of blue-light-filtering lenses with non-blue-light-filtering lenses in adult patients over the course of days to weeks, with the longest study looking at five weeks of daily use.

The review's authors found that, based on the current data, blue-light-filtering lenses have "probably little or no effect" in reducing eye strain.

Meanwhile, some studies included in the review show minor, reversible side effects from blue light glasses and blue light-filtering lenses such as headaches, low mood and discomfort.

"This systematic review found that blue-light-filtering spectacle lenses may not attenuate symptoms of eye strain with computer use over a short-term follow-up period, compared to non-blue-light-filtering lenses," the authors wrote. "Further, this review found no clinically meaningful difference in changes to CFF [critical flicker-fusion frequency] with blue-light-filtering lenses compared to non-blue-light-filtering lenses."

While there is data to suggest blue light may have an effect on circadian rhythm and possibly sleep quality, this large review also found blue-light-filtering glasses had an inconclusive effect on sleep scores, with a few individual studies reporting benefits and others not.

PHOTO: A woman is seen using computer with blue glasses in this stock image. (STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images)

The experts ABC News spoke with recommended avoiding screens before bed and if that isn't possible, using the night mode on your laptop or phone instead.

Previous studies have also found that blue-light-blocking lenses placed within the eye itself do not decrease risk of developing or progression of age-related macular degeneration, the most common form of retinal disease in the United States.

"Our retinas have a specific area, called the macula lutea, that is responsible for a large part of their vision and accumulates yellow pigment," Dr. Jose Pulido, a retina specialist and director of translational research at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, who was not involved in the newly-presented research, told ABC News. "This pigment specifically absorbs blue-light and some studies have suggested excess blue light exposure can place stress on your retina, however, this connection is likely only relevant to those with pre-existing retinal disease and still requires further study."

MORE: More screen time may be linked to delayed development in babies: New study

Dr. Rahul Khurana, a California-based retina specialist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, told ABC News that the discomfort people experience from prolonged screen time is due more to muscle fatigue and a lower blink rate.

"When you blink, it lubricates the eye and makes it feel comfortable," Khurana said. "When you stare at a screen, your blink rate goes from 15 times a minute to 7 times a minute, so your eyes dry out and they get heavy and feel terrible."

Khurana said he has "no reason" to believe there will be different results if blue-light-filtering products are studied for longer periods of time, saying, "We have no current evidence blue light from screens is harmful to your eyes."

MORE: Here's how overexposure to blue light could be affecting your skin

The experts ABC News spoke with instead offered these recommendations to help protect the eyes:

1. Wear sunglasses with broad spectrum protection when outside. The sun emits not only blue light but UV light as well, which increases your risk of developing cataracts.

2. Avoid prolonged staring at screens. The 20-20-20 rule can help: For every 20 minutes a person looks at a screen, they should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

3. Use artificial tears with extended screen time if your eyes are prone to drying out. Additionally, if you have contact lenses, try alternating prescription eyeglasses.

If you continue to suffer from eye discomfort, see your local optometrist or ophthalmologist for further evaluation.

Dr. Devina Mehta, licensed dermatologist, is a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.

Study indicates blue light filtering glasses have little benefit for most: 3 eye-healthy habits to adapt instead originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com