AI and Data Extraction

Introduction

You may be already well aware of the challenges associated with managing, analyzing, and obtaining actionable insights from vast amounts of information – there is just too much information we're consuming every day, and what's even worse is that websites can have vastly different structures due to website designs to display content or interactive features, HTML and CSS layouts, templates and themes provided by pre-designed website services, and so on, which impacts how data is presented and how it can be extracted. So the key to success in business or at work often relies on how you can collect clean and structured data you need and such vast amounts of data, which can be harnessed for analysis, decision-making, and various applications. In this article, we'll discuss some of the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for data extraction on the web.

Everyone’s talking about AI

Alt: Generative AI-created Image by Adobe Firefly

By definition, AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines capable of performing tasks, which includes learning from data, reasoning, problem-solving, understanding natural language (human language), and perceiving the environment through sensors. In essence, it represents a broad and rapidly advancing field with the potential to solve complex problems, improve lives, and revolutionize industries. The picture above was also generated by an AI image generator with a simple text prompt: web scraping and data. AI is not just a tool but a game-changer. It automates workflows, enhances analysis, and provides real-time insights, all while scaling with your needs.

The role of data in artificial intelligence

Data can be thought of as the foundation upon which AI engines are built, trained, and evaluated. Data and AI are something like the chicken or the egg problem. Without data, there is no AI, and vice versa, which means that data is integral in building and developing AI systems. Therefore, unstructured and poor-quality data can impact the overall performance of the systems and produce unreliable and biased results or fairness issues. For instance, inaccuracies in the data can lead to incorrect predictions, faulty recommendations, and overall poor performance. To tackle these challenges, many researchers put their best efforts into data cleaning before training the AI systems, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. AI can automate these tasks, however, reducing the manual effort required and minimizing errors.

Why does web scraping matter for AI?

Taking it one step further, you may use automated web scraping tools using AI for automated data collection. AI-enabled web scraping could be either web automation provided by AI-based business automation tools or data scraping powered by web scraping services that offer scraping-specific solutions using their AI and advanced algorithms, or maybe in between them. For example, UiPath offers AI and automation solutions including data scraping modules. Zyte, Magical, Browse AI, and Bardeen AI are similar web automation tools whose solutions include data extraction, third-party app integrations, autofill, and AI email writer services. AI-driven automated tools can streamline data collection workflows, and there are more and more web scraping services expanding their businesses to web automation using AI.

The final thought: How Listly is revolutionizing web scraping

Alt: Web automation with Listly

Listly is a web scraping extension for individual professionals and businesses of all sizes, powered by a suite of AI and auto-detecting algorithms. It provides users with Databoard to gather, organize, track data, and work together on web scraping projects (available on Enterprise) in real time. There are a lot of alternative scraping tools out there though, there may be few automating web scraping jobs with easy and intuitive-to-learn interfaces. Low/no-code, low complexity, and low cost – these are Listly's three principles that make data scraping easy and revolutionize the way people collect web data. Additionally, it's beneficial even to developers or programmers since it allows them to check the structure of a website in advance, helping them develop web scraping strategies with ease (e.g. check on invisible elements on a website). Well, it's just one of the many reasons why Listly is great for freelance workers as well as businesses, so check out Listly's advanced features for more details!