Unlike traditional robotic process automation, which is rule-based and often follows strict and predefined workflows, agentic RPA incorporates elements of artificial intelligence, allowing it to make decisions and adapt to changing conditions within a given framework.

Given that agentic RPA is particularly relevant for tasks that require a blend of repetitive execution and flexible responses, such as complex data analysis, Tapestry Inc. has set the ball rolling in this area, according to Karthigeyan Ramakrishnan (pictured, left), director of planning systems and RPA at Tapestry.

Tapestry’s Karthigeyan Ramakrishnan and SAP’s Tami Becker talk to theCUBE about the transformative power of agentic RPA.

“Where I think agentic RPA would make a significant leap and help our customers is you can orchestrate multiple things,” Ramakrishnan said. “One particular application that we’re building using generative AI is we connected our reporting database to a model and the app would convert questions in natural language into SQL queries, fire against the database and get you the response. It’s coming up successfully.”

Ramakrishnan and Tami Becker (right), SAP RISE global ecosystem head at SAP SE, spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante and co-host Rebecca Knight at UiPath Forward 2024, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the revolutionary impact of agentic RPA. (* Disclosure below.)

Through the agentic RPA lens

Agentic RPA is a game-changer because it combines the power of automation with AI-driven decision-making. As a result, it handles complex tasks with a level of autonomy that makes it more versatile, quicker and scalable, Ramakrishnan pointed out.

“Agentic RPA could give you the power of performing updates to data,” he explained. For example, you can say, ‘Well, there is less stock in this store for this particular SKU, but you can see the sales were high last week. So, please allocate more of these products from the warehouse to the store.’ I mean harmonizing is one way of putting it, but they’re more like giving you insights quickly. They’re talking to data and giving you insights quickly, and it also enables you to perform updates.”

The incorporation of AI into RPA is a leap forward because it transforms the latter from a productivity tool into a strategic asset that can handle complex and mission-critical operations. As a result, the partnership between SAP and UiPath Inc. is geared toward the realization of this objective, according to Becker. 

“How do I remediate that custom code into SAP’s technology platform to move it forward?” she said. “The beauty of them going to the cloud is really why the UiPath partnership is so important, because they’re able then to take advantage of building more efficient processes because they’re able to take advantage of our upgrades moving forward. We really want to help our customers move to the cloud, so that they can become persistent innovators, work with UiPath on building out automations.”

Since agentic RPA handles manual tasks by using AI-driven automation to mimic human decision-making and adapt to a range of unpredictable scenarios, Tapestry has joined hands with UiPath to make this a reality. This plays an instrumental role in automating complex and non-standard processes, according to Ramakrishnan. 

“There’s a natural lean toward using RPA to automate these manual activities to help them focus on much more rewarding tasks, and that’s where UiPath helped,” he stated. “AI can now be added onto automation, it’s like icing on the cake, but you need to have the automation framework very well-set, robust and solid and then you can throw AI there. For example, optical character reading, , we have a lot of invoices to process in our company … we’re exploring how OCRs can be invoices, then pass it to RPA to perform further automation.”

Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE Research’s coverage of UiPath Forward 2024: 

(* Disclosure: UiPath Inc. and SAP SE sponsored this segment of theCUBE. Neither UiPath, SAP nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

Photo: SiliconANGLE