Guides
RPA vs AI Automation
RPA replays clicks. AI interprets. Real systems need integration first and both of these second.
Robotic process automation drives the user interface: it opens screens, types into fields and clicks buttons in a fixed sequence. It is quick to demonstrate and genuinely useful against systems that offer no API, which is why it took hold in insurance, banking and older manufacturing estates. Its weakness is structural — the script depends on the screen, so a vendor's interface update breaks it silently, and maintenance costs accumulate faster than the original savings in a fast-changing environment. AI automation works differently: it interprets unstructured input, classifies it, extracts fields or drafts language, but it does not, by itself, move data between systems reliably. The mature answer is neither camp. Integrate wherever an API exists, because integration is the only mechanism that does not degrade. Use AI on the steps that require interpretation. Reserve RPA for the genuinely closed systems where no interface is exposed, and treat every RPA script as a liability with a maintenance budget attached. Decide this per process, never as a platform standard imposed across the organisation.
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RPA: fast to build, brittle against interface change
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AI: strong on interpretation, weak as a data mover
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Integration: slower to build, does not degrade
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Choose per process, not as a platform standard
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Attach a maintenance budget to every RPA script
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Combine all three where the process genuinely needs it
FAQ
Is RPA obsolete?
No, but its scope has narrowed to closed systems with no API. Where an interface exists, integration is the better long-term answer.
Can AI replace our RPA bots?
Partly. AI can replace the interpretation steps a bot was faking with rules, but the data movement usually moves to an integration rather than to a model.
Which is cheaper to run?
Integration, then AI, then RPA once maintenance is counted honestly over two to three years.
How do we decide for a specific process?
Ask whether the input is structured, whether an API exists, and how often the interface changes. Those three answers pick the mechanism.
Intelligent Automation Consultant
One consultant accountable for the whole automation stack — process design, integration, AI and measurement.
How to Automate Repetitive Tasks With AI
A repeatable method: ledger the tasks, price them, decide the mechanism, prove the hours.
System Integrations
One record, one source of truth, and alerts when a connection stops behaving.