Meet Sasha: Oldham startup appoints AI robot to management team

An Oldham-based startup has officially appointed a robot to its management board.

Energi Mine took on Sasha, which stands for Strategy and Support - Human Analytics, to assist its senior team with algorithmic decision making.

It is hoped that the bot will help with suggestions on trading and managing energy, in addition to analysing sales figures and performance statistics.

Omar Rahim, chief exec at Energi Mine, said of the appointment: “We already use AI software to trade and manage energy for clients – so bringing Sasha on to our management board is simply the next stage.

“Our whole business model is based on using Deep Learning Artificial Intelligence models.”

He added: “We recognise that certain tasks can be done more efficiently by machines. Developed by data scientists from across the tech industry, Sasha’s input will be invaluable moving forward.”

The energy procurement industry, Omar explained, is currently heavily manualised. There is “a huge reliance on a series of spreadsheets compiled by analysts”, which he said takes time and can be expensive.

He continued: “Our AI uses machine learning which means that our computer programs get smarter and smarter the more times they carry out a request. This results in more insightful analysis from data – ultimately leading to greater cost saving opportunities.

“Automating as many processes as possible means human errors are minimised. Lengthy processes that normally take up to two weeks to complete can be done within an hour.”