As automation technology advances, a new wave of agentic AI is reshaping the landscape. Discussions are increasingly focused on whether to build intelligent automation on top of robotic process automation (RPA) or approach intelligent process automation as a whole.

Ten years ago, script-based automation was in focus. Slowly, RPA came into focus, according to Vaibhav Bansal (pictured, left), vice president at Everest Group.

Everest Group’s Anish Nath talks with theCUBE about intelligent process automation.

“We had robotics or rules-based automation, robotic desktop automation and robotic process automation. Companies like UiPath have been pioneers of that,” Bansal said. “In the past three to four years, what we’ve been largely hearing, is intelligent automation.”

Bansal and Anish Nath (pictured, right), practice director at Everest Group, spoke with theCUBE Research’s Dave Vellante and host Rebecca Knight at UiPath Forward 2024, during an exclusive broadcast on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed the evolution of intelligent process automation and UiPath Inc.’s strategic position in the automation ecosystem. (* Disclosure below.)

Tracking the evolution of intelligent process automation

Over the last three to four years, AI started to become embedded, especially deterministic AI, according to Bansal. Generative AI and LLMs saw that infusion of more probabilistic AI into traditional AI, creating many new opportunities.

“Today, where we are now, all of us are hearing of agentic AI or agentic process automation, which is the latest kid on the block,” he said. “I think, for us, we see all of this as an extension. Agentic process automation, we really believe, is going to be disruptive.”

Agentic process automation has been the main theme that has come out of UiPath Forward. There was an overall narrative that UiPath presented throughout the event, having assimilated a number of different components from over the years, according to Nath.

“Now, topping it off with agentic and saying, ‘This is the complete story, and this is what you need as a platform,’” Nath said. “I think that fit very well with what I was expecting, and that actually holds a lot of promise in terms of what we can expect as being adopted by enterprises in the future.”

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

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

Photo: SiliconANGLE