[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#Article","articleBody":"Automation technologies are moving center stage in the collective consciousness. As more people begin to think about technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA) and AI in their daily lives, they\u2019re introducing new ideas, and even some misconceptions, to the narrative.\nWhile some may have heard about RPA and AI, they may not have a working understanding of how these technologies work and what benefits they provide. Here\u2019s what you need to know:\n1. RPA is sharply defined and based on hard rules that make it predictable. AI isn\u2019t 2. Despite having different use cases, RPA and AI are a potent combination in the enterprise 3. RPA and AI together can improve both the employee experience and customer experience\nRPA and AI: How they\u2019re different\nEmployees around the world are apprehensive of automation in the workplace to varying degrees. Some are skeptical, and others are downright fearful.\nTo sort out my own understanding of today\u2019s automation technologies, I talked with two experts to learn more about the difference between RPA and AI as part of our new \u00a0video series, \u201cCXO Corner.\u201d In this episode, I spoke with Kashyap Kompella, founder and CEO of rpa2ai, and Daniel Neuhauser, Head of ERP Core Solutions at Villeroy & Boch.\nFortunately, most businesses can resolve employees\u2019 worries about these technologies with a little education, and comparisons to real-world scenarios are supremely helpful for nontechnical employees and business leaders alike. Kompella offered one such example, based on a planned personal trip to Antarctica.\nHe compared RPA bots to the small rubber boats that ferry visitors to sights across the icy landscape, which is a lot like the way those bots bring information and processes across a disparate IT landscape.\n \nThe robots are here to stay: Learn the benefits of RPA\n   The business benefits of robotic process automation include digitization, cost reduction, increased productivity. RPA is also simple to use.  \nNeuhauser explained that RPA is a very defined technology based on hard rules. AI, on the other hand, is less defined. The decisions that an RPA instance makes are predictable and understandable based on the bot\u2019s defined rules.\nIn contrast, it can be hard to understand why an AI instance made the decisions it did. As AI technologies such as machine learning continue to learn, their behaviors and decisions can change\nUnlocking the potential of RPA and AI\nIt makes sense, then, that RPA and AI often have very different use cases. But combining these two technologies can benefit an enterprise in powerful ways.\n\u201cI am very bullish on the combination of RPA and AI,\u201d Kompella said, adding that it\u2019s the primary focus of his company, rpa2ai. \u201cWe look at RPA plus AI as really automation on steroids. In fact, we believe the next phase of growth in this industry will be driven by cognitive automation, or intelligent automation.\u201d\nKompella pointed to a real example built on intelligent automation solutions. One organization is using an RPA platform to manage data from intelligent sensors along the supply chain and help ensure that COVID-19 vaccines are delivered safely.\nBoth experts also explored how the combined power of AI and RPA could revolutionize more complicated work, such as tasks that bog down and hold back much of the skilled workforce. Kompella said that, together, AI and RPA have the potential to pass the Turing test when performing white-collar work.\nImproving CX and the employee experience\nFor the past few years, most businesses have jumped on the RPA train to streamline operations and to squeeze more productivity out of all available resources, including the workforce.\nKompella said businesses would do well to shift their RPA focus to helping their workers, especially as employee stress and burnout approach an all-time high during the pandemic.   \n\u201cI\u2019d like the industry to take a slightly different approach. Obviously, RPA has great benefits in delivering a great customer experience,\u201d he said. \u201cBut we believe that the path to a superior customer experience has to go through a superior employee experience first.\u201d\n\u201cEveryone I got to know was happy when I could find a solution to reduce repetitive tasks. Every time, this was the main success criteria,\u201d Neuhauser said.\nWatch the full conversation here.\nLearn more about how RPA streamlines business operations HERE.","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#Article_Person","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#Article_Person_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Abadesi-Osunsade-150x150.jpg"},"name":"Abadesi Osunsade","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/Abadesi","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/abadesi\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/abadesi-osunsade\/"},"dateModified":"2021-05-26T23:42:58+00:00","datePublished":"2021-02-18T12:01:01+00:00","description":"Find out the difference between RPA and AI and how combining them provides powerful benefits by improving CX and the employee experience.","headline":"RPA and AI: An automation dream team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#Article_ImageObject","height":"630","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/FCEE107_RPA_HB_5-1200x630.jpg","width":"1200"},"mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/","name":"RPA and AI: An automation dream team","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/","additionalType":"https:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/wiki\/Q1193236","description":"Relevant, timely information & analysis on commerce trends, both consumer-facing and B2B.","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","height":"96","url":"https:\/\/23x6xj3o92m9361dbu2ij362-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/themes\/hybris_foc\/assets\/images\/layout\/logo-new-2x.png?_=1","width":"500"},"name":"The Future of Customer Engagement and Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/a-call-for-a-better-experience\/id1479742201","https:\/\/twitter.com\/FutureOfCEC","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/4844282","https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/feed\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/"},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#Article"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"18","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/02\/\/18\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"RPA and AI: An automation dream team","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/02\/18\/rpa-and-ai-an-automation-dream-team\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]