- Let's wrap this chapter up quickly
by addressing some of the most commonly asked questions
I've seen in the market
because I'm pretty certain you're either thinking them
or you'll soon be asked them.
The first is, isn't RPA the same as screen scraping
or just macros on steroids?
The second is, how is RPA different
from business process management tools?
And finally, one I'm certain you'll encounter,
how is RPA different from artificial intelligence?
The macros on steroids description
has been around for a while
and even though it sounds negative,
I think it's actually somewhat helpful.
First, because people understand what a macro is.
When presented with a task they need to repeat
over and over again in an application like Microsoft Excel,
they build a macro to emulate the actions
they've been taking with their keyboard or mouse.
So to that extent, RPA bears a resemblance to macros,
but they can do a heck of a lot more,
hence the on steroids.
RPA is able to control a massive catalog of applications
and integrate between them.
And most RPA tools have out-of-the-box capabilities
to handle complex logic, calculations,
and sophisticated workflows.
So yes, to some degree, RPA is like macros on steroids,
but if capability, control, and security are important,
I'd choose RPA every time.
As for screen scraping,
hopefully it's clear that the sophistication
I had just described also highlights
that RPA can do quite a bit more
than simple scraping of data from screens.
Next, we have business process management tools.
BPM isn't a specific software tool,
but more of an approach to streamlining business processes
to create efficiency and value.
It's a deep look at how processes are operating,
highlighting areas for improvement
and building solutions usually from the ground up.
RPA, on the other hand,
is designed to operate processes as a human would
so it exists in more of a surface level.
As we've already covered,
it's often faster to implement,
works with almost any software,
and is easily adapted
to the changing application environment.
RPA and BPM are not necessarily
in conflict with one another.
Instead, they share the same goal,
just with different implementation strategies.
Finally, artificial intelligence.
This is a huge topic.
For the sake of this course,
I'll try to be concise.
AI is an umbrella term.
It's used to describe a spectrum of capabilities
that includes machine learning,
natural language processing,
complex pattern recognition, hypothesis generation,
and the iteration of algorithms
as they learn from more data.
Think of the Netflix Show Recommendation Algorithm
for example which learns
from your browsing habits over time.
You may also hear the term cognitive in your research.
It's a subset of AI
and the term has been applied
to tools we've long known as IVR, Voice Recognition,
and OCR, Character Recognition.
It's these cognitive tools you'll most often encounter
especially as supplements to the RPA capabilities
you'll get out of the box from most leading vendors.
RPA is not typically labeled as cognitive or AI
because the underlying technology is different.
With RPA, a developer creates a rule-based process
that the robot fully conforms to and follows.
You saw examples of this in the previous lesson.
The rules won't be adjusted
unless a developer reprograms them.
This means that everything RPA does from beginning to end
is completely dependent on how it was configured.
So RPA by itself cannot be considered intelligent.
And while it prompts some to call RPA robots dumb,
I can't disagree more.
They're just well-behaved
and it's their consistency
that makes them so incredibly valuable.
Plus, the well-behaved RPA is only just the beginning.
As you get more advanced,
you'll find you can combine RPA
with specialized cognitive tools
to achieve intelligent digital labor.
For example, RPA lays a foundation
for other tools down the road such as machine learning
by creating copious amounts of transactional data
to feed the machine learning algorithms.
Having the proper outlook can allow you
to proactively accommodate these technologies
when they're enterprise ready,
fit to be part of your future of work toolkit.
So remember, RPA is not macros on steroids,
it's like it but much more capable.
It's a complement, but not a replacement to BPM.
And RPA is not the same as AI,
but it will serve as an invaluable precursor
to applying cognitive tools to your organization.
I'm often telling enterprises
that to build your cognitive castle,
you must first lay a digital foundation.
RPA is that digital foundation
on which you can employ more advanced technologies
when the time is right and if the solution requires.