Artificial intelligence is finding its way into more and more everyday technology, and office printers and photocopiers are no exception.
Manufacturers including HP, Sharp and Toshiba are already using AI to make multifunction printers smarter. In some cases, the technology is built into the machine itself. In others, the printer connects securely to cloud-based AI services.
That might sound futuristic, but much of what AI is currently doing is surprisingly practical.
What can AI actually do in a printer?
One of the simplest examples is scanning.
Modern machines can already analyse a document and automatically choose suitable scan settings rather than asking the user to understand resolution, compression, text modes and image quality options.
AI can take that further.
A machine may be able to recognise what type of document has been scanned, extract useful information from it, suggest a filename or send it automatically to the correct location.
For businesses processing invoices, forms, delivery notes or other repetitive paperwork, that could save a considerable amount of time.
Manufacturers are also beginning to use AI behind the scenes.
Machine information and service history can potentially be analysed to help identify faults, predict maintenance requirements and give technicians better information before they attend a call.
That could mean fewer breakdowns, shorter service visits and less disruption for customers.
The advantages
Used properly, AI has the potential to make office equipment easier rather than more complicated.
Instead of adding another menu full of settings, the best implementations should remove decisions the user shouldn’t have to make in the first place.
It could mean:
- Better scans without having to understand scan settings.
- Faster filing and processing of documents.
- Automatic extraction of useful information from paperwork.
- Easier document searching and organisation.
- Earlier warning of maintenance issues.
- Faster and more accurate fault diagnosis.
- Less time spent on repetitive administrative work.
For most users, the ideal AI feature will probably be one they barely notice.
You put a document in, tell the machine roughly what you want, and it does more of the work for you.
But there are things businesses need to think about
The biggest consideration is where your information is being processed.
Some AI functions run locally inside the printer. Others send information to a secure cloud service for processing.
Neither approach is automatically good or bad, but businesses should know which one they are using.
If you’re scanning something containing customer information, financial records, employee details or other confidential material, it is reasonable to ask:
Does this document leave the building?
Where is it processed?
Is any of the information stored?
Who has access to it?
Those are not reasons to avoid AI. They are simply the same sensible questions businesses should already be asking about cloud storage, document management and other online services.
Security also becomes increasingly important as printers become more capable.
A modern multifunction printer is already a networked computer containing user accounts, address books, stored jobs and connections to other business systems. Adding AI doesn’t suddenly create that risk, but it does make good configuration, software updates and access control even more important.
AI should assist people, not replace judgement
There is another limitation worth remembering: AI can make mistakes.
A system might occasionally classify a document incorrectly, misunderstand a piece of text or make the wrong suggestion.
For routine tasks that may simply mean correcting a filename. For something more important, a person should still be responsible for checking the result.
The sensible approach is to use AI where it saves time and reduces repetitive work, while keeping human oversight where decisions matter.
What happens next?
We are still at a relatively early stage.
HP, Sharp and Toshiba are approaching AI in slightly different ways, but the direction is clear. The humble office copier is becoming much more intelligent.
That does not necessarily mean employees will soon be having conversations with the photocopier.
The more likely future is much less dramatic — and probably much more useful.
Printers will become better at understanding what we are trying to do, handling routine tasks automatically and spotting problems before they become problems.
And if AI can finally stop someone scanning a 40-page document as a 300MB file because they accidentally selected the wrong settings, perhaps there really is something to be said for it.