Beyond the obvious (and ChatGPT), Portuguese companies are already applying AI to their operations

Predicting machine breakdowns, processing documents or automatically calling patients are just three examples of how Portuguese companies are, today, already making the most of artificial intelligence (AI). Some cases have become new lines of business; others are still being tested. The pressure to innovate is great, with eyes on the competition, and it will only grow. But the temptation to apply AI to everything must be resisted, those in charge warn: it takes judgement and measure. Not least because the technology also has costs, and they can scale, fast.

Fidelidade, the country’s largest insurer, has deployed a solution that recognises the declarations and invoices customers submit, learns from experience and has already won several awards. The oil company Galp managed to avoid a stoppage at the Sines refinery because an algorithm raised an alert in advance. Meanwhile, Mota-Engil is testing an AI technology that lets site foremen process the delivery notes for materials from a photograph.