Steffen Graf, Geschäftsführer von Yellow Automation und Henry Bohnen, Senior Developer Smart Automation, erläuterten, wie bei Yellow Automation mithilfe von modernster Robotic Process Automation-Technologie (RPA) wiederkehrende, manuelle Prozesse der Muttergesellschaft Commerzbank in effiziente, stabile, automatisierte Systeme transformiert werden. 

Hierbei wurde den Studierenden ein tiefer Einblick in die Praxis vermittelt. Der Vortrag machte deutlich, wie durch Robotic Process Automation nicht nur messbare Effizienzgewinne erzielt werden können, sondern auch ein wirksamer Beitrag zur Bewältigung von Herausforderungen wie dem demographischen Wandel geleistet wird, der für Unternehmen mit der Verrentung einer hohen Anzahl erfahrener Beschäftigter verbunden ist. Dabei wurde deutlich, welche zentrale Rolle Prozessautomatisierung einnimmt, um zahlreiche Geschäftsprozesse in Unternehmen effizient und skalierbar zu optimieren. In diesem Kontext wurden auch die Potenziale digitaler Trends wie (Agentic) Artificial Intelligence mit den Studierenden intensiv diskutiert.

Wir bedanken uns sehr herzlich bei den Guest Lecturers für die spannenden Einblicke in die Praxis und das große Interesse der Studierenden!

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Yesterday, there was a guest lecture by smart automation experts from Yellow Automation in our master’s module Managing Digital Transformation. 

The students were given a deep insight into the practical applications of process automation. Steffen Graf and Henry Bohnen explained how at Yellow Automation, a subsidiary of Commerzbank, recurring, manual processes are transformed into efficient, automated systems using state-of-the-art Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology. The lecture made it clear that Robotic Process Automation not only achieves measurable efficiency gains but also makes a significant contribution to meeting contemporary challenges such as ongoing demographic shifts, which, for companies, is associated with the retirement of a large number of experienced employees.

Furthermore, it became clear what a central role process automation plays in efficiently optimizing numerous business processes at scale across an organization. In this context, the potentials of digital trends such as (agentic) artificial intelligence were also intensively discussed with the students. 

We sincerely thank the guest lecturers for the exciting insights into practice and the great interest of the students!

The event will take place on 20 May 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00 in room R09 R01 H02.

The event features two talks: The first talk is titled “Qualitative Methods: How Researchers Crack Human Puzzles”. The second lecture addresses the topic “How to use AI in Qualitative Research”.

We are pleased to welcome Dr Michael Price and Dr Mike Russell as speakers.

Dr Michael Price is Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University in the United Kingdom. He has been with Northumbria University since 2020 and previously held academic positions at the University of Leeds and Newcastle University. His academic background includes degrees from the University of Hull, the University of Nottingham, and Newcastle University. His research lies at the intersection of business ethics, governance, and social and ethical finance. He has published in leading international journals, including Business History, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Voluntas, and the International Journal of Entrepreneurship Behavior & Research.

Dr Mike Russell is Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. His research focuses on the disruptive potential of blockchain technology and its applications. These include education in the metaverse, distributed finance, supply chain traceability and verification in areas such as fisheries and cocoa, as well as social philanthropy. He holds a PhD in “A Graded Interface for Novice/Expert Interaction” from the University of Wales, a Master’s degree in International Business Administration from Nyenrode Business Universiteit, and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of South Wales.

Raum: R09 R04 H02
Termin: 18.05.2026, 10:00-11:30 Uhr

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On 18th of May, experts from Yellow Automation will give a guest lecture on "Digital Process Transformation & Smart Automation". The lecture takes place within the master's module "Managing Digital Transformation" but is open to all students of information systems.

Room: R09 R04 H02
Date: 18th of May, 2026, 10:00-11:30 am 

Event Overview

Event Title: AI Meets HR Processes: A Hands-On Look Inside the Lab
Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: PIA Lab, University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Essen
Entry: Free (Registration required)

Why AI in HR?

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping HR practices. But how exactly does it change HR processes? Which tasks will AI take over, and which human skills will remain essential? Join us for a hands-on demonstration and see AI applications in HR in action.

Agenda

4:00 PM: Introduction to AI in HR – Why HR processes are the perfect field for AI exploration.
4:30 PM: Reconstructing a traditional HR process – A deep dive into today’s manual workflow.
5:00 PM: Live Demo – Witness step by step how AI can transform HR processes.

Register on Eventbrite

Hosted on a local university server, the platform includes tools such as n8n, ERPNext, and Whisper, as well as space for student blog posts, project opportunities, and further content related to business information systems. The goal is to enable students to experiment with relevant technologies in a practical way without needing to set up their own infrastructure or pay for external services.

The platform is already available and can be accessed via the university network, either through VPN or campus Wi-Fi.

This new offering is intended to make practical digital tools more accessible and to strengthen applied learning opportunities for students.

The PIA Lab participated in this year's Girls Day with a workshop titled "Die Welt der digitalen Geschäftsprozesse" at the University of Duisburg-Essen. The event brought together a group of young women for an afternoon of learning, building, and experimenting with real digital tools.

The workshop focused on the fundamentals of digital business processes, APIs, and AI agents. Using approachable metaphors and visual storytelling, participants were guided through the logic of how modern automated systems work, from receiving a request to delivering a result.

The highlight of the day was a collaborative hands-on project: the participants designed and built their own AI-powered concert ticket finder using n8n. The system consisted of multiple AI agents working together, from understanding the user's input, to querying ticket providers via API, to delivering the result in a structured format. Participants first sketched the workflow on paper before bringing it to life digitally.

The event demonstrated that complex topics like automation and artificial intelligence can be made accessible and engaging for young audiences. The enthusiasm and creativity shown by the participants throughout the workshop were a strong signal of the potential that lies in early, practice-oriented technology education.

We would like to thank all participants for their energy and curiosity that made this Girls Day a great success.

The new Bachelor and Master project topics for the Summer Semester 2026 are now available on our website. The projects address current challenges at the intersection of business processes, enterprise systems, and AI-enabled information systems.

This semester’s topics:

• building AI agents that interact with ERP systems and generate realistic process data,
• designing AI-supported workflows for HR processes using modern automation tools,
• developing conversational AI copilots for enterprise systems.

You can find more detailt regarding our offered student projects here. 

All projects combine conceptual work with practical implementation. Students will design and develop prototypical solutions, work with realistic use cases, and gain experience with current technologies in process automation and AI. In some cases, project results are presented to partners from industry, providing additional practical feedback and perspective.

Students are encouraged to form small groups and apply for the topics of interest. Further information on the individual projects and the application process is available on the respective project pages.