Unlocking Business Potential with AI Builder

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The Power Platform
3. AI Builder in the Power Platform
   • 3.1 Pre-built AI models
   • 3.2 Customizing AI models
4. Document Automation with AI Builder
   • 4.1 The need for document automation
   • 4.2 AI Builder's document processing capabilities
   • 4.3 Training a custom model for document processing
5. Bring Your Own Model (BYOM)
   • 5.1 Introduction to BYOM
   • 5.2 How BYOM works
   • 5.3 Use cases for BYOM
6. Using Lobe with Power Platform
   • 6.1 Overview of Lobe
   • 6.2 Integrating Lobe with Power Apps
7. Using AI Models in Power Apps
   • 7.1 Adding AI models to a Power App
   • 7.2 Using Power Fx expressions to reference AI models
8. Licensing Update for AI Builder
9. Getting Started with AI Builder

Article

AI Builder: Adding Intelligence to Your Business with the Power Platform

Are You looking for new ways to add intelligence to your business? Look no further than AI Builder, a powerful tool within the Power Platform that enables you to build intelligent solutions without the need for coding. In this article, we will explore the various capabilities of AI Builder and how it can revolutionize your business processes.

1. Introduction

In today's technology-driven world, business intelligence is crucial for staying competitive. With AI Builder, you can harness the power of artificial intelligence to automate processes, extract valuable insights, and make more informed decisions. Whether you are a citizen developer or a data scientist, AI Builder offers a range of features that cater to your specific needs.

2. The Power Platform

Before we Delve into the capabilities of AI Builder, let's take a moment to understand the Power Platform. The Power Platform is a suite of no-code and low-code tools that includes Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents. These tools empower citizen developers to Create custom solutions for data visualization, app development, process automation, and more.

3. AI Builder in the Power Platform

AI Builder is a no-code AI authoring capability within the Power Platform that brings the power of artificial intelligence to citizen developers. With AI Builder, you can leverage pre-built AI models from Azure AI and customize them to suit your specific needs. This means that within minutes and without writing a single line of code, anyone can build intelligent solutions.

3.1 Pre-built AI models

AI Builder offers a range of pre-built AI models that cover various use cases. These models allow you to extract and process content from documents such as invoices, receipts, or structured forms. You can also extract meaning, sentiments, or key phrases from text, detect objects and individuals in images, and classify images. Additionally, you can predict future outcomes in your structured data.

3.2 Customizing AI models

While the pre-built AI models in AI Builder offer great functionality, there may be instances where you require a custom model tailored to your specific problem. AI Builder provides tools that enable you to easily train and customize AI models. By tagging elements in your document and mapping them to specific fields, you can train AI Builder to understand the information captured in your documents. Whether it's complex tables, multiple layout types, or checkboxes, AI Builder supports over 70 different languages and can handle your most challenging documents.

4. Document Automation with AI Builder

Document automation is a critical business process that saves time, reduces errors, and improves efficiency. AI Builder excels in document automation, offering an end-to-end solution for automatically processing documents. This solution includes a Power Automate template that monitors shared mailboxes for incoming documents, document processing capabilities to extract information from documents like invoices and receipts, and a PowerApp validation station for monitoring and validating extracted content. Finally, using Power Automate, you can export the extracted data to a cloud-connected ERP or legacy systems using desktop automation.

4.1 The need for document automation

Documents play a vital role in various business functions and industries. Functions such as finance, manufacturing, and supply chain management rely on documents like invoices, purchase orders, quality assurance reports, and proof of delivery. Traditionally, workers manually process these documents by extracting key information and entering it into centralized systems. This manual process is time-consuming and prone to errors.

4.2 AI Builder's document processing capabilities

AI Builder's document processing capabilities empower businesses to automate the extraction of information from documents. With AI models specifically trained for document automation, you can extract Relevant content from invoices, receipts, and structured forms. AI Builder understands complex tables, multiple layout types, checkboxes, and even supports over 70 different languages. By automating document processing, businesses can save time and reduce the risk of manual errors.

4.3 Training a custom model for document processing

While AI Builder provides pre-built models for document processing, there may be cases where you need a custom model to handle your unique document requirements. AI Builder offers a user-friendly interface for training custom models. With improved GRID tagging capabilities, you only need to identify the table separators, making it easier to train AI Builder to process your most complex documents. By customizing AI models, businesses can tailor document automation to their specific needs and optimize their processes further.

5. Bring Your Own Model (BYOM)

In addition to AI Builder's pre-built models and customization capabilities, it also supports the integration of external AI models. This feature, known as Bring Your Own Model (BYOM), allows data scientists and domain experts to use their models within the Power Platform.

5.1 Introduction to BYOM

BYOM enables businesses to leverage their existing AI models with the Power Platform. Whether the models are built by data scientists or domain experts, BYOM seamlessly integrates these models into Power Apps, Power Automate, and other components of the Power Platform.

5.2 How BYOM works

To use your custom models with AI Builder, you simply need to inform the system about your model's location. This can be done through a simple API call, letting AI Builder know where your model is hosted. Once registered, your models become available alongside the built-in models in AI Builder, allowing you to use them in your Power Apps and Power Automate workflows.

5.3 Use cases for BYOM

BYOM opens up endless possibilities for businesses looking to leverage the power of their custom models. Data scientists and domain experts can build models tailored to their specific needs and seamlessly integrate them into their existing Power Platform solutions. This empowers businesses to unlock the full potential of their AI investments and drive innovation.

6. Using Lobe with Power Platform

Lobe is a user-friendly AI model training tool developed by Microsoft. Integrated with the Power Platform, Lobe makes it easy for businesses to create and train AI models without the need for coding or complex setups. With Lobe, you can quickly train models for image classification and leverage them within Power Apps.

6.1 Overview of Lobe

Lobe allows you to train AI models on your own machine, making it a cost-effective and accessible option for businesses. With its intuitive interface, you can label thousands of pictures, automatically train machine learning models, and seamlessly integrate them into your Power Apps. Lobe enables businesses to add intelligence to their applications without requiring any prior machine learning experience.

6.2 Integrating Lobe with Power Apps

To demonstrate the power of Lobe in the Power Platform, we turn to Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company. Novo Nordisk used Lobe to build a Power App that identifies equipment pieces for washing and sterilization. By simply pointing a smartphone camera at a piece of equipment, the Power App automatically recognizes and displays the relevant instructions. This integration of Lobe with Power Apps streamlines processes, reduces errors, and improves productivity.

7. Using AI Models in Power Apps

Using AI models in Power Apps is now easier than ever, thanks to the Power Fx expression language. With the Power Fx language, you can add AI models to your Power Apps and reference them from any control. This two-step process allows you to extend the functionality of your Power Apps by incorporating AI models.

7.1 Adding AI models to a Power App

To add an AI model to your Power App, you simply navigate to the Data tab, click "Add Data," and select "AI Models." From the list of available models, you can choose the one you want to use in your app. Once added, the model becomes accessible within the app.

7.2 Using Power Fx expressions to reference AI models

With the AI model added to your Power App, you can reference it from any control using Power Fx expressions. By writing a Power Fx expression that includes the AI model's name and predicts the output Based on the input, you can integrate AI capabilities into your app effortlessly. This allows you to create intelligent apps that automate tasks, provide intelligent suggestions, and enhance user experiences.

8. Licensing Update for AI Builder

In the past, AI Builder was a premium service within the Power Platform. However, to make AI Builder more accessible to a wider audience, Microsoft has included AI Builder in select Power Apps and Power Automate license plans. This means that more people can now start adding intelligence to their solutions using AI Builder.

9. Getting Started with AI Builder

If you're ready to explore the possibilities of AI Builder and add intelligence to your business, it's time to get started. Visit the AI Builder Explorer page to try out the pre-built models, experiment with customization options, and see how AI Builder can transform your business processes. With AI Builder, you can revolutionize your workflows, gain deeper insights from your data, and drive innovation.

Highlights

• AI Builder enables businesses to add intelligence to their processes without coding.
• The Power Platform consists of Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents.
• AI Builder offers pre-built AI models and customization options.
• Document automation with AI Builder streamlines processes and reduces errors.
• Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) allows businesses to integrate their custom models into the Power Platform.
• Lobe is a user-friendly AI model training tool that integrates with the Power Platform.
• Power Fx expressions enable the use of AI models in Power Apps.
• AI Builder is now included in select Power Apps and Power Automate license plans.
• Get started with AI Builder on the AI Builder Explorer page to unlock the potential of AI in your business.

FAQ

Q: What is AI Builder? A: AI Builder is a no-code AI authoring capability within the Power Platform that allows businesses to add intelligence to their solutions without the need for coding.

Q: What is the Power Platform? A: The Power Platform is a suite of no-code and low-code tools that includes Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power Virtual Agents.

Q: Can I customize AI models with AI Builder? A: Yes, AI Builder provides tools for customizing AI models to suit your specific needs.

Q: What is Document Automation? A: Document automation is the process of automating the extraction of information from documents, such as invoices, receipts, and forms.

Q: Can I use my own AI models with AI Builder? A: Yes, AI Builder supports the integration of external AI models through the Bring Your Own Model (BYOM) feature.

Q: Can I use Lobe with the Power Platform? A: Yes, Lobe can be integrated with the Power Platform to train AI models for image classification.

Q: How can I add AI models to Power Apps? A: You can add AI models to Power Apps by navigating to the Data tab, clicking "Add Data," and selecting "AI Models."

Q: Is AI Builder included in all Power Apps and Power Automate license plans? A: AI Builder is now included in select Power Apps and Power Automate license plans, making it more accessible to a wider audience.

Q: How can I get started with AI Builder? A: Visit the AI Builder Explorer page to explore the capabilities of AI Builder and start adding intelligence to your business processes today.