Intelligent Automation Month
September 1 - September 30
About Intelligent Automation Month
Intelligent Automation Month runs throughout September 2026, beginning on Tuesday, 1 September and continuing until Wednesday, 30 September. Founded by the software company ABBYY, the month-long observance raises awareness of intelligent automation: the combination of artificial intelligence, business process automation and data analysis that is changing how organisations of every size work.
What is Intelligent Automation Month?
Intelligent Automation Month is an annual awareness campaign held every September. It was created by ABBYY, a company specialising in artificial intelligence and process intelligence, to educate business leaders about automation technologies and how they can be applied responsibly. Throughout the month, the focus falls on intelligent automation, which blends rule-based business automation, task automation and AI so that software can interpret information and manage workflows with limited human intervention. The campaign is aimed at innovation leaders, operations teams and anyone curious about how automation is reshaping the workplace.
When is Intelligent Automation Month?
Intelligent Automation Month takes place across the whole of September each year. In 2026 it begins on Tuesday, 1 September and ends on Wednesday, 30 September. As a month-long observance rather than a single day, it gives organisations time to run a series of webinars, articles and learning sessions throughout the period.
Why Intelligent Automation Month Matters
Intelligent automation is no longer confined to large corporations. Because the technology is scalable, it can be used by small start-ups and global enterprises alike, automating repetitive tasks, interpreting structured and unstructured data, and freeing people to focus on higher-value work. The month matters because it helps demystify these tools at a time when many organisations are weighing up how, and whether, to adopt them. It encourages a thoughtful approach: understanding where automation genuinely helps, how to implement it without disrupting teams, and how to keep humans involved in decisions that matter. By concentrating awareness into a single month, ABBYY and the wider community make it easier for newcomers to learn from experts and from one another.
How to Get Involved in Intelligent Automation Month
Whether you are a business owner, a manager or simply interested in the technology, there are plenty of ways to take part:
- Attend a webinar – ABBYY and other organisations run expert-led online sessions throughout September that explain automation concepts in plain language.
- Audit your own processes – Use the month as a prompt to map the repetitive, manual tasks in your team and identify which could be candidates for automation.
- Read up on the basics – Learn the difference between robotic process automation, machine learning and process intelligence so you can make informed decisions.
- Run a pilot project – Choose one small, well-defined process and trial an automation tool to see the benefits and challenges first-hand before scaling up.
- Involve your whole team – Automation works best when the people doing the work help design it, so gather input from those closest to each process.
- Connect with specialists – Speak to consultants who can offer guidance tailored to your industry and the specific problems you want to solve.
- Share lessons learned – If your organisation already uses automation, write up a case study to help others avoid common pitfalls.
- Keep ethics in mind – Use the month to consider data privacy, transparency and the human impact of automating roles, not just the efficiency gains.
History of Intelligent Automation Month
The inaugural Intelligent Automation Month was held in 2023. It was established by ABBYY, a company with long experience in artificial intelligence, optical character recognition and process intelligence, as a way to bring structured education to a fast-moving and often poorly understood field.
From the start, the month was built around accessible learning. Rather than a single launch event, ABBYY chose to fill September with a programme of webinars and curated content designed to help innovation leaders understand the practical benefits of AI-powered automation. The aim was to cut through hype and give decision-makers a clearer picture of what the technology could realistically achieve.
Since then the observance has continued each September, reflecting the steady growth of interest in automation across nearly every industry. As tools have matured and AI has advanced, the month has remained a useful fixed point in the calendar for organisations to pause, learn and plan their own automation journeys.
Noteworthy Facts About Intelligent Automation Month
- The first Intelligent Automation Month was held in 2023, making it a relatively new addition to the awareness calendar.
- It was founded and is hosted by ABBYY, a company specialising in AI and process intelligence.
- Intelligent automation is best understood as a fusion of business automation, task automation and artificial intelligence rather than a single technology.
- The technology can interpret both structured data, such as spreadsheets, and unstructured data, such as scanned documents and emails.
- Because it is highly scalable, intelligent automation can suit a small start-up just as well as a multinational corporation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Intelligent Automation Month?
It is an annual September awareness campaign founded by ABBYY that educates business leaders about intelligent automation, the combination of AI and process automation that helps organisations work more efficiently.
When is Intelligent Automation Month in 2026?
It runs for the whole of September 2026, from Tuesday, 1 September to Wednesday, 30 September.
What is intelligent automation?
Intelligent automation is the blending of business process automation, task automation and artificial intelligence. It allows software to access and interpret data and to manage workflows based on set rules, often with minimal human input.
Spread the Word
Help raise awareness by sharing Intelligent Automation Month with your colleagues and network. Use the hashtags #IntelligentAutomationMonth and #IntelligentAutomationMonth2026 on social media. The more people who understand how automation works, the better equipped organisations are to use it wisely.
Related Awareness Days
- National Barcode Day – A celebration of a piece of everyday technology that quietly transformed how businesses track and process information.
- International Women in Engineering Day – Highlights the people building the technical systems, including automation, that power modern industry.
- National FreeBSD Day – A technology-focused day marking the open-source operating system that underpins much of the digital infrastructure businesses rely on.
Links
Featured image: Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash.
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