The robotic process automation company UiPath Inc. made news this month when it raised $225 million, pushing the firm into “triple unicorn” or $3-billion startup valuation territory. As the RPA company leads its UiPathForward Americas conference in Miami, Florida, this week, the central focus will be on whether the age of automation and robotics has finally arrived.

“We’ve been talking about automation since the creation of the first computer,” said Stu Miniman (@stu), co-host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s mobile livestreaming studio. “Are we on the cusp for automation to really deliver on the things that we’ve been talking about for a couple of generations?”

Miniman spoke with co-host Dave Vellante (@dvellante) during the UiPath event, and they discussed whether robotics can improve productivity, UiPath’s hiring plans, and the role of automation in digital transformation. (* Disclosure below.)

RPA could close productivity gap

At the heart of questions surrounding robotics’ impact is whether the technology itself can make a difference in productivity. “There’s a widening gap between the number of jobs worldwide and the number of people to fill them,” Vellante said. “We’re not seeing bump-ups in productivity even though spending on technology is through the roof. Robotic process automation is going to become a fundamental component of closing that gap.”

If RPA is going to have that kind of impact, it will apparently take both capital and talent. In addition to the significant funding UiPath has received, company executives indicated during the conference that there are plans to reach 4,000 employees by the end of next year.

“They’re a software company; they’ve raised huge amounts of money,” Miniman said. “Why does a software company need so many employees?”

Thursday’s keynotes included discussion of robotics as a critical technical enabler, where advances in areas such as computer vision could pave the way for automation to become a truly dominant force.

“It’s about digital transformation and driving it to the heart of process automation,” Vellante said. “It’s really about a cultural shift, a mind shift towards an automation first opportunity.”

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of the UiPathForward Americas event. (* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for UiPathForward Americas. Neither UiPath Inc., the event sponsor, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: UiPathForward Americas