Using AI to extract data from PDF (2024)

In today's digital-first age, the volume of data managed and processed by organizations has skyrocketed, making efficient data extraction techniques more crucial than ever. Particularly, extracting data from PDFs—an often cumbersome and error-prone task—has seen significant advancements with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This article explores how AI technologies, specifically PDF data extractor AI solutions, are revolutionizing the way data is pulled from PDF documents, simplifying processes, and enhancing accuracy and efficiency. This article also delves into the intricacies of using AI for PDF data extraction, exploring the challenges it addresses, the mechanisms of AI-based PDF parsers, and the overall benefits of AI to extract data from PDFs.

The challenges of conventional PDF data extraction techniques

PDF files are ubiquitous in the digital world, serving as a standard format for distributing documents that are layout-preserving and universally accessible. Yet extracting data from them can be particularly challenging.

PDFs are designed to maintain the exact layout of a page, including text, images, and other elements, regardless of the device or software used to view them.

PDF documents can vary greatly in layout and structure, depending on their purpose and source. For example, financial reports, invoices, research articles, and forms might all be in PDF format but have very different layouts.

PDFs often contain a mix of text, images, tables, and sometimes multimedia elements. Extracting data from these varied content types requires sophisticated processing capabilities, such as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for images of text and specialized algorithms for understanding tables and graphs.

Apart from the challenges covered above, the main reason that many organisations still handle PDF data extraction manually is that:

1. Conventional PDF data extractors typically extract everything in one go from a PDF and not just the specific data or key value pairs that are important for a particular business use case. Manual intervention is then required to further refine and only pick out business-relevant data - e.g. extracting line items from a receipt or invoice to manage expenses.
2. The final extracted data needs to be sent to a downstream business software or stored in a database. While APIs do allow some level of interoperability, the extracted data often needs to be converted into a suitable format that might often require manual intervention - e.g. preparing a CSV file to import CRM data into Salesforce.

How AI-based PDF data extraction addresses these challenges

Utilizing AI to extract data from PDFs offers a promising solution to these challenges. AI PDF data extraction can process PDFs far more accurately despite the lack of structured data in PDF documents, variability in PDF layouts, and mixed content types within PDFs.

AI-based data extraction, particularly through techniques such as Machine Learning (ML) and Natural Language Processing (NLP), allows for the accurate interpretation of complex and varied data types found in PDF documents.

Data extraction algorithms using AI are trained on large datasets to recognize and interpret different data formats and structures. Also such systems using AI to extract data are adept at processing PDF documents that vary in layout and design. They are trained to handle variability because they function on the basis of contextual understanding.

Through natural language processing, AI PDF extractors can understand the context within documents, thus distinguishing between relevant data points and mere text or irrelevant data.

Modern intelligent automation solutions like Nanonets combine AI based data extraction with powerful workflow automation capabilities. This allows businesses to almost completely automate their PDF data extraction workflows end to end and eliminate manual actions.

How does data extraction using AI work?

AI based data extraction, also known as intelligent data capture or cognitive data capture, involves using AI, ML and NLP algorithms to automatically extract relevant information from unstructured or semi-structured data sources such as documents, images, emails, forms etc.

Here's how it typically works:

1. Data Ingestion: The process begins by ingesting the unstructured data from various sources into the AI system. This could include scanned documents, PDFs, images, emails, or other digital files.
2. Pre-processing: The data may undergo pre-processing steps such as image preprocessing, noise reduction, or enhancement to improve the quality and readability of the content.
3. Feature Extraction: AI algorithms analyze the data to identify key features, patterns, and structures. This involves recognizing text, images, tables, key value pairs and other elements within the documents.
4. Natural Language Processing (NLP): For contextual data, NLP techniques are used to understand the text, semantics, and relationships between words and phrases. This allows the system to extract just the relevant information accurately.
5. Machine Learning Models: AI models, particularly machine learning models such as deep learning neural networks, are trained on large datasets to recognize and extract specific types of information or entities such as names, dates, addresses, numbers etc. These models learn from examples and improve their accuracy over time and continuous learning/feedback.
6. Validation and Verification: Extracted data is validated and verified to ensure accuracy and consistency. This may involve cross-referencing with external databases, performing data validation checks, or comparing against predefined rules.
7. Data Integration: Extracted data is integrated into downstream systems, databases, or applications for further processing, analysis, or storage. This could include populating CRM systems, accounting software, or business intelligence tools.

Benefits of using AI to extract data from PDFs

The adoption of AI for PDF data extraction brings several key benefits:

• Increased Efficiency: AI dramatically reduces the time required to extract data, processing large volumes of documents swiftly. It also improves productivity as employees can now focus on higher value tasks instead of manual data entry and correction.
• Enhanced Accuracy: AI minimizes human error and increases the precision of the extracted data.
• Scalability: AI solutions can easily scale according to the volume of data, accommodating large projects without the need for additional human resources.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Over time, the use of AI reduces costs associated with manual labor and correction of errors.

Use Cases of AI-driven PDF Data Extraction

Businesses are increasingly using AI to extract data from PDFs to address use cases in various industries.

Here are a few examples of key industries and their specific uses cases that are better addressed through AI-driven data extraction because they deal with complex documents or data.

• Legal - Automating the extraction of data from legal documents, contracts, and case files to streamline case preparation and review:
  • Contract Management: Extracting key clauses, terms, and obligations from legal contracts, agreements, and court documents to automate contract review, analysis, and compliance monitoring.
  • E-Discovery: Analyzing and extracting relevant information from large volumes of legal documents, emails, and electronic communications to facilitate electronic discovery in legal proceedings.
  • Due Diligence: Automating the extraction of data from corporate documents, regulatory filings, and financial statements to conduct due diligence during mergers, acquisitions, or investment transactions.
• Healthcare - Processing patient records and clinical data to support diagnostics and research while maintaining compliance with data protection regulations like HIPAA:
  • Medical Records Digitization: Converting handwritten or scanned medical records, prescriptions, and lab reports into structured electronic formats for easier storage, retrieval, and analysis.
  • Insurance Claims Processing: Extracting data from insurance claim forms, medical bills, and healthcare records to automate claims adjudication processes and reduce processing times.
  • Clinical Trials: Analyzing unstructured clinical trial documents, patient records, and research papers to identify patterns, trends, and insights for drug discovery and development.
• Finance and Banking - Extracting data from financial statements and transaction records for audits, compliance, and financial analysis:
  • Mortgage Processing: Extracting information from mortgage applications, bank statements, pay stubs, and other financial documents to automate loan approval processes.
  • Compliance Reporting: Automating the extraction of data from regulatory documents such as KYC (Know Your Customer) forms, AML (Anti-Money Laundering) reports, and financial statements to ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Invoice Processing: Automatically extracting data from invoices, receipts, and billing statements to streamline accounts payable processes and improve accuracy.
• Supply Chain and Logistics - Extracting data from supply chain and logistics documentation to manage inventory and comply with trade regulations:
  • Inventory Management: Extracting data from shipping documents, packing lists, and invoices to automate inventory tracking, order processing, and stock replenishment.
  • Customs Documentation: Automating the extraction of data from customs declarations, bills of lading, and import/export documents to ensure compliance with international trade regulations.
  • Freight Invoicing: Extracting shipping details, freight charges, and delivery information from freight invoices and carrier bills to streamline freight payment processes and reduce errors.

Top AI Software Solutions for PDF Data Extraction

Here are some of the top solutions that perform AI based PDF data extraction as a core offering:

1. Google Document AI helps developers create high-accuracy processors to extract, classify, and split documents.
   1. Best for: improving data extraction, and gain deeper insights from unstructured or structured document information.
2. Nanonets powers end-to-end process automation across finance, accounting, supply chain, operations, sales, HR and other mission-critical business use cases.
   1. Best for: automating complex business processes and back office operations that require data extraction from documents or other data sources – all within one AI-powered document communication platform..
3. Abbyy Finereader is all-in-one PDF and OCR software application designed to increase business productivity.
   1. Best for: accessing and modifying information locked in paper-based documents and PDFs.
4. Adobe Acrobat Pro is the all-in-one PDF and e-signature solution trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
   1. Best for: creating, editing, converting, sharing, signing, and combining PDF documents.
5. Laserfiche is a leading provider of enterprise content management (ECM) and business process automation solutions.
   1. Best for: setting up powerful workflows, electronic forms, document management and analytics.

Conclusion: The Future of AI-powered Data Extraction

The integration of AI into PDF data extraction is just the beginning of a broader transformation in how we extract, handle and process information. As AI technologies evolve, they promise to unlock even more sophisticated capabilities beyond just data extraction.

Today's advance PDF data extraction AI solutions will grow into autonomous AI agents of the future that will automate business workflows end to end - completely frictionless!