AI Task Assignment Assistant for Collaborative Messaging

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Solution Overview

Problem

Collaborative messaging systems lack the ability to automatically assign newly opened tasks to the most appropriate participants, leading to delays in task completion and inefficient resource allocation, especially when external parties are involved who may not be familiar with team members' areas of expertise.

Innovation Solution

An AI-based task assignment system that identifies tasks and task criteria during collaborative message exchanges, matches them with optimal candidates using semantic analysis of historical data, and provides a ranked list of candidates to the task leader for selection, while also considering human feedback to prevent algorithmic bias.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If manual task assignment is used in collaborative messaging systems, then team members can complete tasks, but it is not immediately clear who is the best person to assign the job, leading to delays and inefficient resource allocation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask completion efficiencyVSAvoidtask assignment delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically analyzing message exchanges, identifying tasks, determining task criteria, and generating ranked candidate recommendations without requiring manual intervention. The AI assistant autonomously processes the assignment workflow, reducing dependency on manual judgment and accelerating task distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical manual assignment process with an AI-based automated system. Instead of relying on human task leaders to manually evaluate and assign tasks, the system uses natural language processing, semantic analysis, and machine learning models to automatically identify tasks, assess candidate suitability, and generate recommendations, thereby substituting human cognitive labor with automated intelligence.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If external parties are involved in task assignment, then diverse perspectives and expertise can be utilized, but external parties may not be familiar with team members' areas of expertise, leading to suboptimal assignments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassignment flexibilityVSAvoidexpertise matching accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the AI assistant presents ranked candidate recommendations to the task leader or external party, who can provide feedback or make final selections. This feedback loop allows the system to learn from human decisions and continuously improve its matching accuracy, while also educating external parties about team member expertise through the presented recommendations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The AI task assignment assistant serves as an intermediary between external parties and team members' expertise. It bridges the knowledge gap by analyzing message content, understanding task requirements, and matching them with appropriate team members based on historical data and semantic analysis, thereby enabling external parties to make informed assignments without needing direct knowledge of individual expertise areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If automated AI-based task assignment is implemented, then task assignment speed and accuracy improve, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetask assignment efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The AI task assignment assistant is designed as a universal system that can handle multiple functions within a single integrated platform. It can process various types of message exchanges, identify different kinds of tasks, evaluate multiple candidate criteria, and generate recommendations across diverse teams and projects. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems, thereby managing complexity while maintaining high productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Measurement precision

If historical task completion data is analyzed for candidate selection, then assignment accuracy improves, but the need to process and store historical data increases system complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecandidate matching accuracyVSAvoiddata processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential and relevant features from historical task completion data that are necessary for accurate candidate matching. Instead of processing entire historical datasets, it identifies and extracts key attributes such as task completion patterns, expertise areas, and performance metrics, thereby reducing data processing complexity while maintaining matching accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20230306324A1Artificial intelligence-based task assignment assistant in multiparticipant message exchanges
Publication Date: 2023.09.28 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION
  • US20230306324A1 patent drawing
  • US20230306324A1 patent drawing
  • US20230306324A1 patent drawing

AI summary

Automatic task assignment in a multiparticipant message exchange includes receiving, by a computer, data snapshots from a collaborative message exchange between one or more participants. Based on the data snapshots, the computer identifies tasks requiring completion, a task leader among participants, and a task criteria. Based on a semantic match between the task criteria and a database of historical task completion, the computer identifies a candidate pool for completing the tasks and determines a likelihood of each candidate completing the tasks. A relevancy score is assigned based on the likelihood and used to generate a list of ranked candidates for completing the tasks. The computer presents the list to the task leader, receives a selection from the task leader including at least one candidate for completing the tasks, automatically notifies the selected candidate of the tasks to be completed, and updates the database of historical task completion.