Part 3: Automation is not intelligence.
Well, welcome back!
This is a continuation of my previous articles which are part of a RPA mini-series blog. In part one, we looked into what RPA is and why it matters. In part two, we dived into why not everything can be automated by RPA.
You can also read about this from the women in tech blog (still excited about this aki).
In part 3, we look at how we can move beyond task automation and expand their offerings to include intelligent automation (IA). For reference, this mini-series was inspired by re-watching The Terminator, more specifically The Cyborg Made Me (all pun intended).
The pace at which robotic process automation (RPA) and Intelligent Automation (IA) are integrated into all phases of business operations is staggering, even though these technologies are so new!
Let’s look at the defining distinctions of these two technologies. I will assume that you understand what RPA is (part I) and which processes can be digitalized with RPA (part II). Let us dive into intelligent automation (IA) specifically how RPA incorporates AI and ML.
Intelligent Automation incorporates technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) and intelligent document understanding.
Intelligent automation expands on RPA functionality by incorporating sub-disciplines of artificial intelligence, like machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
Speaking of which, I did a talk last year in collaboration with Women In Data on computer vision, in case you missed it you can find it here — https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/computer-vision-101-purity-maina/?trackingId=%2BpL7jRtkSviOSWq710R7Dw%3D%3D
Intelligent Automation(IA) uses robotic process automation (RPA) to automate routine tasks, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to simulate human intelligence, providing the tools and techniques to complete high-functioning tasks that require reasoning, judgment, decision-making, and analysis. Automated and intelligent technologies are the frontier in digital transformation, not only transforming the way that businesses operate, but they are redefining human work as well.
Parting Shot: Automation is not intelligence!While RPA simulates human work actions, it doesn’t simulate human intelligence. Intelligent automation on the other hand operates more like a complete human as it can interpret data to make inferences and conclusions from it. IA platforms can have RPA capabilities, but RPA does not need IA capabilities to function.
In part 4, we look at the process that RPA can automate; How to Choose Which Processes to Automate and the different use cases for RPA
