From Copy-Paste to Higher-Level Thinking: Paul Kortman on Business Automation and AI

If you have ever found yourself copying data from one spreadsheet to another, exporting a CSV, importing it somewhere else, or following a checklist for the hundredth time, you have encountered what Paul Kortman calls the "copy-paste problem." In this episode of Chatting GPT, Mary Rose Lyons of AI Institute (Ireland & UK) sits down with Kortman, founder of Connects Digital, to explore how automation and AI can move knowledge workers away from repetitive tasks and towards higher-level strategic thinking.

The Automation Opportunity

Kortman's journey into automation began in the most practical way possible. After starting Connects Digital as a digital marketing agency in 2010, he pivoted into SEO link building and found himself managing complex workflows across multiple team members. The tools available at the time—Trello and Zapier—formed the foundation of what would become a 15-year specialisation in business automation.

The core insight that drives Kortman's work is simple: automation should not be about cutting costs by eliminating jobs. It should be about freeing people from repetitive, low-value tasks so they can focus on higher-level thinking. When knowledge workers spend their days copying, pasting, importing, exporting, and following checklists, their expertise is wasted. Automation gives that time back.

The No-Code Ecosystem

Kortman's toolkit has expanded significantly since those early Trello days. Today, Connects Digital works with Make.com, Zapier, Airtable, n8n, Pipedream, and a growing ecosystem of no-code and low-code platforms. These tools have democratised automation, making it accessible to businesses that cannot afford dedicated development teams.

The convergence of these platforms with AI is particularly exciting. Kortman describes AI agents as essentially programmable virtual assistants that follow defined processes. Rather than replacing human workers, these agents handle the repetitive elements of workflows while humans focus on exceptions, strategy, and creative problem-solving.

Real-World Impact

The value of this approach is best illustrated through Connects Digital's work with a Boeing subsidiary. The company built a six-month Airtable system for a 30-person marketing department, giving leadership real-time visibility into OKRs without requiring constant manual status updates. The system automated reporting, streamlined communication, and freed the marketing team to focus on actual marketing rather than administrative overhead.

This kind of transformation is possible for businesses of all sizes. The key is identifying the right opportunities for automation.

Three Automation Triggers

Kortman identifies three primary triggers that indicate an automation opportunity:

1. Copy-paste tasks. Anytime someone is manually transferring data from one system to another, there is an opportunity for automation.

2. Import/export workflows. Regular data transfers between platforms can usually be automated entirely.

3. Checklist-driven processes. Standard operating procedures that follow predictable patterns are prime candidates for automation.

By systematically identifying these triggers, businesses can build a roadmap for automation that delivers immediate value while laying the groundwork for more sophisticated AI-powered workflows.

Citizen Development

A key theme in Kortman's work is citizen development—the idea that knowledge workers should be equipped to build their own no-code tools. Rather than relying on IT departments or external developers, employees closest to the work can create solutions that fit their specific needs.

This approach accelerates automation adoption and ensures that solutions are practical and well-adopted. It also builds organisational capability, creating a culture where continuous improvement is everyone's responsibility.

For businesses in Ireland and the UK looking to embrace automation, the path forward is clear: start with the repetitive tasks that waste your team's expertise, leverage the no-code tools that make automation accessible, and build towards AI-powered workflows that amplify human capability rather than replacing it.

Want the full conversation? Watch the Chatting GPT episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqQPszC_BTw