Michael Bochmann is Chief Product & Technology Officer at DocuWare. We had the opportunity to chat with him about the path his company has already taken in the adoption of AI and what is to come.
(MCPRO) DocuWare had already incorporated many smart features into its portfolio. What is DocuWare’s medium to long-term AI strategy and roadmap?
(Michael Bochmann) DocuWare’s AI strategy is to integrate reliable and secure AI across the entire document and workflow lifecycle, so customers can automate more end-to-end processes, not just data extraction. In the medium term, it is about scaling intelligent document processing (IDP) capabilities, in terms of classification, extraction, validation and orchestration, and facilitating its adoption through more pre-configured use cases and guided configuration. Long-term, our roadmap is to expand AI beyond the IDP into broader enterprise content management and decision support practices while maintaining strong governance, privacy, and compliance.
(MCPRO) DocuWare recently launched the DocuWare AI Hub. What exactly is it and what do you hope to achieve with it?
(Michael Bochmann) The DocuWare AI Hub is our global AI research and development center, consolidating knowledge and accelerating the delivery of highly reliable proprietary AI solutions to DocuWare customers and partners. In practice, it is a dedicated initiative that allows our AI engineers and product and development teams to collaborate better and move more quickly from research to production-ready features. The goal is to elevate our “AI capability” as an organization and turn it into concrete, usable results: greater accuracy, faster automation and new AI-powered capabilities, implemented in a controlled and compliant way.
(MCPRO) How do you expect users to benefit from the integration of AI into DocuWare solutions?
(Michael Bochmann) Users benefit in three very tangible ways:
- Productivity and speed: AI reduces manual effort in data capture, classification and extraction. Teams process invoices, contracts, HR documents, and client files much faster.
- Quality and consistency: Intelligent extraction and validation improve data accuracy and reduce exceptions, especially in complex documents with variable formats.
- Better end-to-end automation: By integrating AI into document management and workflows, customers can automate entire processes, letting employees focus on monitoring and exceptions, rather than repetitive tasks.
(MCPRO) How does DocuWare ensure it stays at the forefront of innovation?
(Michael Bochmann) We invest in innovation at three levels: dedicated R&D through the AI Hub to accelerate the development of applied AI; a product approach that prioritizes secure, scalable, easy-to-use solutions that solve real operational problems; and close collaboration with our ecosystem of customers and partners to validate where AI generates measurable value. Additionally, we treat compliance and governance as enablers of innovation. Building trustworthy, transparent, and regulatory-aligned AI helps customers make faster, more confident decisions.
(MCPRO) What impact has the popularization of AI had on your go-to-market strategy, product roadmap, and distribution channels and partners?
(Michael Bochmann) The rapid widespread adoption of AI has raised expectations: customers want automation that is faster to implement and with an immediate return on investment, but they also demand strong guarantees in data protection and governance. This has influenced our market strategy towards “trustworthy AI for real business processes” and has accelerated roadmap priorities around the implementation of AI capabilities. On the channel side, partners need stronger positioning, use case roadmaps, and technical guidance to successfully apply AI across industries. The AI Hub supports this by centralizing innovation and translating it into capabilities that partners can reliably bring to market.
(MCPRO) What do you think will be the next big change in the industry and how is DocuWare preparing to take advantage of it?
(Michael Bochmann) The next big change will be the transition from “AI capabilities” to AI-powered process orchestration, where systems not only extract information, but proactively guide and execute multi-step jobs, with people maintaining control for oversight, approvals and exceptions. This means moving beyond automation to intelligent end-to-end workflows that continually learn and improve. DocuWare is preparing by strengthening the foundation: advancing the IDP, expanding AI in content and workflows and investing through the AI Hub in secure, compliant AI that customers can feel confident in their daily operations.
(MCPRO) Thank you very much for your time.
