“We want to bring AI into the company” is one of the things we hear most. But often what actually solves the problem is not artificial intelligence but a good software robot (RPA), or a combination of both. Understanding the difference avoids expensive projects that add nothing.
What RPA is
Robotic process automation (RPA) means software that performs tasks just as a person would at a computer: logging into SAP, copying data from Excel, downloading a bank statement, filling in a web form or sending an email. It follows fixed rules and is very reliable when the process is always the same.
- Best for: repetitive tasks with structured data and clear rules.
- Examples: updating orders in the ERP, generating payment files, downloading information from portals, preparing tax returns from the accounts.
- Limit: it does not “understand” documents or make decisions outside its rules.
What artificial intelligence adds
AI is useful when information is unstructured or needs interpreting: reading a PDF invoice, classifying emails, extracting data from a contract or answering questions about internal documentation.
- Best for: documents, free text, images and decisions that need some judgement.
- Examples: invoice capture, ticket classification, assistants that query case files, draft report generation.
- Limit: it can make mistakes, so it needs human review or validation rules.
The winning combination
In practice, the best results come from combining both: AI interprets and RPA executes. A typical example is invoice posting: AI reads the PDF and extracts the data, and the robot posts it to the ERP applying your accounting rules. We explain it in detail in AI accounting automation.
How to decide: three questions
- Is the input data always the same? If so, start with RPA. If it is documents or variable text, you will need AI.
- Does the process have clear rules? If the rules can be written down, a robot can apply them. If they depend on someone’s judgement, AI can propose and a person decide.
- What happens if there is an error? The higher the impact, the more important it is to include human validation in the flow.
Common mistakes
- Using AI for something a rule-based robot does better, cheaper and without errors.
- Automating a messy process: simplify it first.
- Forgetting maintenance: if a website or ERP changes, the robot must adapt.
Not sure whether your process needs RPA, AI or both? We will tell you in a first meeting.