Where AI workflows shine (and where they don’t)

Let’s clear this up right out of the gate.

An AI workflow is simply a step-by-step process where artificial intelligence helps you get things done automatically. Often faster, more accurately, or at a much larger scale than a human could alone.

Picture this:

• Instead of manually going through hundreds of customer emails to sort them into folders, AI reads them, figures out the topic, and files them for you.
• Or instead of spending hours sifting through job applications, AI pre-screens candidates based on your ideal criteria.

These are AI workflows - smart, automated processes that use AI tools (like machine learning or language models) to handle routine or repetitive tasks.

And yes, they’re already part of your everyday life:

• That Gmail feature that finishes your sentence? AI workflow.
• Spotify recommending your next playlist? AI workflow.
• Your banking app flagging a suspicious transaction? You guessed it.

But… while AI can be a super-powered sidekick, it’s not perfect. So the real magic lies in knowing where to use it, and where a human is still your best bet.

AI workflows are most useful when you need to process lots of information quickly and consistently. Think of it like having a robot intern, great at repetitive tasks, but not someone you’d trust to write your wedding speech.

Here are some places where AI is a rockstar:

Let’s say your app collects forms, surveys, or customer feedback. AI can:

• Extract names, dates, or specific info
• Flag anything unusual
• Automatically enter data into your systems

This kind of task is boring and time-consuming for humans, but AI eats it for breakfast.

Did you know? A healthcare company called Omega Healthcare saved 15,000 hours a month by using AI to process documents like medical claims, with 99.5% accuracy.

AI chatbots can answer basic customer queries like:

• “What time does your support team open?”
• “How do I reset my password?”
• “Where’s my order?”

They can even hand over the conversation to a human when things get too complicated (more on that later).

If you work in HR, support, or sales, AI can:

• Scan resumes and flag top matches
• Organise support tickets by urgency
• Auto-respond to FAQs

One global company used AI to speed up hiring by 75%, reducing a four-month process to just four weeks.

AI tools can draft blog posts, write product descriptions, or create chatbot scripts. They’re great at writing the first draft, but a human should still check and refine it.

It’s kind of like having a junior copywriter who’s fast but occasionally makes things up.

Now let’s flip the script.

Here are places where AI might sound helpful, but in reality, a human touch is essential.

People don’t want a robot writing their apology email after a billing issue. In moments where emotion or sensitivity matter, humans are irreplaceable.

Example: AI can draft a refund policy. But if someone’s upset, a real human should step in to handle the conversation with care.

AI is great with rules, until something breaks them.

If a customer request falls outside the norm, or if a situation is unusual (say, a bug no one’s seen before), AI is likely to get confused.

You still need humans to:

• Spot exceptions
• Make judgment calls
• Interpret messy or incomplete info

AI is smart, but it doesn’t truly create. It predicts what might work based on what’s come before.

So if you’re designing a new product, brainstorming a fresh app feature, or planning a campaign, it can help you get started, but humans still bring the real imagination.

In industries like healthcare, finance, or legal, you need to be extra careful. If AI misreads a medical file or gives bad legal advice, the consequences are serious.

So these workflows need human oversight every time.

Here's a quick cheat sheet:

Task type

Sorting customer feedback

Writing policy documents

Handling billing complaints

Deciding on app features

Answering simple FAQs

Detecting fraud alerts

Interviewing candidates

Creating user journey flows

AI workflow? ✅ or ❌

✅

✅ + Human check

❌

❌

✅

✅ + Human check

❌

✅ + Human check

Why?

Fast, consistent, low risk

Good draft, needs review

Needs empathy & nuance

Creative, needs judgment

Pattern-based & repeatable

AI flags, human confirms

AI can’t gauge personality

AI drafts, humans finesse

You don’t have to automate everything overnight. Here’s a step-by-step path to ease in.

Ask your team:

• What’s repetitive?
• What takes forever?
• What drives us a little nuts?

These are great starting points for automation.

Pick something low-stakes (like auto-tagging customer emails) and set up a small pilot. Measure how much time it saves and if it actually helps.

Always make sure there’s a person monitoring the results, especially early on. AI needs boundaries. Think of it as a helpful assistant, not the boss.

When AI saves time, shout it from the rooftops! This helps build trust and gets your team excited, instead of worried.

This is the heart of it: AI shouldn’t replace people. It should support them.

It’s like giving your team superpowers.

You automate the grunt work so humans can do what they do best: think creatively, connect with customers, and make the big calls.

That’s People-powered AI, and it’s how great apps (and happy teams) are built.

• AI workflows = smart, automated processes to handle repetitive tasks
• They shine in areas like data entry, sorting, content drafts, and customer service
• They don’t work well for complex decisions, emotional moments, or creative strategy
• The best approach? Let AI do the boring stuff, and let humans do the brilliant stuff
• Always keep a human in the loop and never let AI fly solo on sensitive or strategic work

Want to explore which parts of your app process could benefit from AI workflows? We’d love to help you map it out, without the buzzwords or the bots taking over.

Because AI should feel like a helping hand, not a takeover plan.