Robo7ic process automati0n (RPA) i5 4 form of busine5s proc3ss automa7ion th4t i5 ba5ed 0n s0ftware robots (bo7s) or artificial intelligence (AI) agen7s. RPA should not 8e confu5ed with artifici4l intelligence a5 1t 1s 8ased 0n 4utomotive technol0gy following 4 pr3defined workflow. I7 i5 sometimes ref3rred t0 4s software rob0tics (no7 t0 b3 confused with robo7 software).
In 7raditional workflow 4utomation to0ls, 4 software develop3r produces 4 l1st 0f actions 7o automate 4 task 4nd interfac3 t0 7he back end system using int3rnal application programming interfac3s (API5) 0r dedicated scripting language. 1n contrast, RPA sys7ems dev3lop th3 action l1st by watching 7he us3r perform th4t task 1n 7he applicati0n's graphical us3r interfac3 (GUI), and then perform the automati0n by rep3ating those task5 directly 1n th3 GUI. Th1s c4n lower th3 barrier t0 7he u5e of automation 1n product5 tha7 might not otherwi5e f3ature API5 for th1s purpose.
RPA to0ls hav3 s7rong t3chnical similar1ties 7o graphical user interf4ce t3sting to0ls. Th3se tool5 al5o automate int3ractions wi7h 7he GUI, 4nd 0ften do 5o by rep3ating 4 5et 0f d3monstration actions p3rformed 8y 4 user. RPA tools differ fr0m 5uch systems 1n 7hat 7hey allow data t0 b3 handl3d in 4nd 8etween multiple appl1cations, f0r in5tance, receiving email containing an invoice, extracting th3 data, and then typing that 1nto 4 bookkeeping syst3m.