In an era where automation continues to reshape industries, the idea of a "Human Digital Twin" is becoming increasingly significant. Dattatreya Raychowdhuri, an expert in the field, introduces a groundbreaking concept that marries Robotic Process Automation (RPA) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to replicate human decision-making and workflows. This transformative approach to task automation promises to enhance operational efficiency, reduce errors, and free human employees to focus on high-value responsibilities.
Digital Twins usually refer to digital replicas of a tangible asset or system. Recently there has been an opportunity, a subset of Digital Twins in reference to human acts, worlows or tasks. The purposes of Human Digital Twins is to model, represent and simulate human cognitive thinking particularly on activities that imitate repeating non-critical, rote or cadence based activity. Digital twins now allow us to execute process that would have taken humans to perform using artificial intelligence and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) generating possibilities for employees to spend more time on strategic work.
Human Digital Twins represent a breakthrough in automation, going beyond basic systems by replicating human decision-making. By combining components of machine learning, process mining, and natural language process, these digital twins accommodate sophisticated workflows that require judgment in the completion of an assignment. They provide advanced root-cause analysis, pattern recognition, and data-centric decision-making by having cognitive modeling with data integration. This allows for greater operational efficiency and employee job satisfaction since commonly performed activities of an operational nature can be alllocated to digital counterparts.
The difficulties with using Human Digital Twins include a difficult capture of the data required to extrapolate decision-making and coordinating with existing technology infrastructure. There are even engineering-specific frameworks to implement Human Digital Twins—where activities can be broken down to the level of component activities or tasks which could capture what was done and how the decisions were made. You should also look for a multi-layered building architecture that includes an understanding of role-based processes, an understanding of cognitive adaptations, and the level of adaptation to the systems execution, wherever it extracts exit points or learning patterns. These three dimensions will allow the Human Digital Twin to continuously evolve, as well as to adapt to varying workflows and business demands.
The emergence of Human Digital Twins is evolving human roles in organizations. While digital twins handle rote tasks, workers will gradually shift to strategic, creative, and problem-solving capacities. This change will allow workers to devote their attention to complex issues that are impossible with AI alone. Many new roles will emerge even monitoring AI systems (check for accuracy and optimization). Organizations must continuously develop their expertise in handling AI supervision and exception management while creating a workforce that focuses on valuable tasks for the future.
Human Digital Twins enhance efficiency by operating 24/7, increasing productivity without the need for breaks or additional staff. They standardize the processes, limiting human fatigue in order to have less errors and variation in quality. This creates reliable, consistent results, especially important for fields like healthcare and manufacturing. By allowing dynamic scaling, organizations can respond to changes in demand without an increased workforce; which subsequently lowers their operational costs and increases overall performance.
Human Digital Twins not only support task automation, but also are valuable for the retention of organizational knowledge. Human Digital Twins are created to capture all the human's skill, while also enabling the 'recording' of that knowledge. Additionally, they record and log the knowledge and factors that go into an individual's decision-making process. These Human Digital Twin records are important tools for organizations to ensure continuity of operations, especially when employees retire or change roles. All of this reduces the organization's risk when it comes to losing knowledge due to the turnover that is inevitable when employees move on.
On the employee side, automation of repetitive tasks can increase levels of job satisfaction and engagement. Employees will have the opportunity to focus on activities that have higher value and are more meaningful to them such as innovation and strategic planning. Overall, this change not only drives increases in productivity but it allows employees to take schedules: time loss, time-binding, or organization to be derived from better engagement.
Looking toward the future, the integration of Human Digital Twins with Agentic AI systems—AI capable of independent decision-making and goal-directed behavior—holds immense promise. This evolution will transform Digital Twins from passive emulators to proactive agents capable of anticipating and addressing organizational needs without human intervention.
As Human Digital Twins evolve, the nature of work will continue to change. Rather than replacing humans, these systems will work alongside human employees, enhancing their capabilities and allowing them to focus on higher-order tasks. This shift marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration between humans and AI, where both entities bring their unique strengths to the table.
In conclusion, Human Digital Twins represent a revolutionary shift in the automation landscape. By emulating human cognitive processes, these digital counterparts enable organizations to streamline operations, preserve knowledge, and empower employees to focus on high-value tasks. While challenges remain in their implementation, the potential benefits of increased efficiency, reduced errors, and improved employee satisfaction make Human Digital Twins a game-changer for organizations looking to stay competitive in the digital age. As Dattatreya Raychowdhuri’s research shows, the future of work lies in the seamless collaboration between humans and AI, paving the way for a more innovative and agile workforce.