robotic process automation
In plain wordsSoftware 'robots' that copy the clicks and typing a person would do in office computer programs — such as moving data between forms — to automate repetitive paperwork.
Software that automates rule-based, repetitive business tasks by operating other applications' user interfaces as a person would — clicking, typing, copying between screens, reading files and emails — usually following scripted workflows built in a visual designer or recorded from a user's actions. No physical robots are involved. RPA suits high-volume clerical work across older systems that lack programming interfaces, such as invoice entry, claims handling and account reconciliation; bots run unattended on servers or attended on an employee's desktop. Because scripted bots break when screens or rules change, vendors added AI components — optical character recognitionoptical character recognition, n.: Software that picks out the letters and words in a picture — a road sign, a handwritten note, a page of an old book — and turns them into real text a computer can copy, search or read aloud., document understandingdocument understanding, n.: Using AI to read documents such as invoices, forms, contracts and scientific papers the way a person does, taking in layout, tables and charts as well as words, to pull out the information needed., classification and later language models — under labels such as intelligent automation and hyperautomation. Since 2024 RPA vendors and builders of AI agentsAI agent, n.: An AI system that does not just answer but acts: given a goal, it decides on steps, uses tools such as a browser or code editor, checks the results and keeps going until the job is done. have converged on 'agentic automation', in which models plan and handle exceptions while deterministic bots execute steps; computer usecomputer use, n.: An AI's ability to work a computer through its normal screen and controls: it studies pictures of what is displayed and sends mouse and keyboard actions, so it can use ordinary apps that were built for people. agents pursue similar goals without scripts.
The RPA bot copies each approved invoice from the email inbox into the old accounting system overnight.
Origin
Screen-scraping and macro-recording tools long predate the term. The UK company Blue Prism, founded in 2001, states that its chief marketing officer and chief evangelist Pat Geary coined 'robotic process automation' in 2012, a widely repeated claim that rests on the company's own account; the label spread through outsourcing analysts and vendors such as UiPath and Automation Anywhere during the 2010s.
Usage note
Unlike computer usecomputer use, n.: An AI's ability to work a computer through its normal screen and controls: it studies pictures of what is displayed and sends mouse and keyboard actions, so it can use ordinary apps that were built for people. agents, RPA bots follow fixed scripts rather than deciding their steps at run time; unlike roboticsrobotics, n.: The science and engineering of building robots and making them work: designing their bodies, sensors and motors, and writing the software that lets them see, plan and move safely., no machines move. Because RPA mimics clerical tasks, it figures in debates about the automationautomation, n.: Using machines or software to do work that people would otherwise do, from factory robots to programs that sort email or write reports. of office work.
Related
- computer usecomputer use, n.: An AI's ability to work a computer through its normal screen and controls: it studies pictures of what is displayed and sends mouse and keyboard actions, so it can use ordinary apps that were built for people.
- AI agentAI agent, n.: An AI system that does not just answer but acts: given a goal, it decides on steps, uses tools such as a browser or code editor, checks the results and keeps going until the job is done.
- automationautomation, n.: Using machines or software to do work that people would otherwise do, from factory robots to programs that sort email or write reports.
- agentic workflowagentic workflow, n.: A multi-step process in which AI models draft, check, use tools and revise their work over several rounds, instead of answering in one shot; often the steps are laid out by developers in advance.
- document understandingdocument understanding, n.: Using AI to read documents such as invoices, forms, contracts and scientific papers the way a person does, taking in layout, tables and charts as well as words, to pull out the information needed.
- CrewAICrewAI, prop. n.: A free software framework for setting up teams of AI agents, each given a job title, goal and backstory, that divide up tasks and work through them together like a small staff.
- computer usecomputer use, n.: An AI's ability to work a computer through its normal screen and controls: it studies pictures of what is displayed and sends mouse and keyboard actions, so it can use ordinary apps that were built for people.
Sources
- Blue Prism. Our history. Company website. blueprism.com/about/history
Mentioned in
CrewAICrewAI, prop. n.: A free software framework for setting up teams of AI agents, each given a job title, goal and backstory, that divide up tasks and work through them together like a small staff.