Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is Robotic Process Automation Becoming Intelligent? Early Evidence of Influences of Artificial Intelligence on Robotic Process Automation

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Business Process Management: Blockchain and Robotic Process Automation Forum (BPM 2020)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 393))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are changing the nature of work and enable the increasing automation of tasks. The trend around AI technologies has also reached Robotic Process Automation (RPA). To date, RPA is known as a software solution that performs simple and routine tasks based on clearly defined rules. However, past research indicates that through the application of AI and Machine Learning technologies, RPA is starting to get “smart” by including intelligent features. Since little is known about the capabilities of intelligent RPA in academia, this paper examines how AI impacts the capabilities and applicability of RPA. Based on case studies with global RPA software providers and RPA integrators, evidence for cognitive capabilities within RPA is examined within the boundaries of a definition of cognitive intelligence. The paper also discusses the general necessity for cognitive intelligence within RPA software.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Dias, M., Pan, S.L., Tim, Y.: Knowledge embodiment of human and machine interactions: robotic process automation at the Finland government. In: Twenty-Seventh European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2019), Stockholm-Uppsala, Sweden (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  2. French, R.M.: Moving beyond the Turing test. Commun. ACM 55(12), 74–77 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Gupta, S., Kar, A.K., Baabdullah, A., Al-Khowaiter, W.A.: Big data with cognitive computing: a review for the future. Int. J. Inf. Manage. 42, 78–89 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hofmann, P., Samp, C., Urbach, N.: Robotic process automation. Electron. Markets 30(1), 99–106 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Plattfaut, R.: Robotic Process Automation - process optimization on steroids? In: Fortieth International Conference on Information Systems, Munich (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Wanner, J., Hofmann, A., Fischer, M., Imgrund, F., Janiesch, C., Geyer-Klingeberg, J.: Process selection in RPA projects - towards a quantifiable method of decision making. In: Fortieth International Conference on Information Systems, Munich (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Lacity, M.C., Willcocks, L.P.: Robotic process automation at telefónica O2. MIS Q. Execut. 15(1) (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  8. van der Aalst, W.M.P., Bichler, M., Heinzl, A.: Robotic process automation. Bus. Inf. Syst. Eng. 60(4), 269–272 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Penttinen, E., Kasslin, H., Asatiani, A.: How to choose between robotic process automation and back-end system automation? In: Twenty-Sixth European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2018) (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Agostinelli, S., Marrella, A., Mecella, M.: Research challenges for intelligent robotic process automation. In: Di Francescomarino, C., Dijkman, R., Zdun, U. (eds.) BPM 2019. LNBIP, vol. 362, pp. 12–18. Springer, Cham (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37453-2_2

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  11. Syed, R., et al.: Robotic process automation: contemporary themes and challenges. Comput. Ind. 115, 103162 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Eisenhardt, K.M., Graebner, M.E.: Theory building from cases: opportunities and challenges. Acad. Manag. J. 50(1), 25–32 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Feigenbaum, E.A.: Some challenges and grand challenges for computational intelligence. J. ACM 50(1), 32–40 (2003)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Huang, M.H., Rust, R.T.: Artificial intelligence in service. J. Serv. Res. 21(2), 155–172 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Gardner, H.: Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Basics, New York (1983)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Kaplan, A., Haenlein, M.: Siri, Siri, in my hand: who’s the fairest in the land? On the interpretations, illustrations, and implications of artificial intelligence. Bus. Horiz. 62(1), 15–25 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Russell, S., Norvig, P.: Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Pearson (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Modha, D.S., Ananthanarayanan, R., Esser, S.K., Ndirango, A., Sherbondy, A.J., Singh, R.: Cognitive computing. Commun. ACM 54(8), 62–71 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Davenport, T.H., Kirby, J.: Just how smart are smart machines? MIT Sloan Manag. Rev. 57(3), 21 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hirschberg, J., Manning, C.D.: Advances in natural language processing. Science 349(6245), 261–266 (2015)

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  21. Rich, C., Feldman, Y.: Seven layers of knowledge representation and reasoning in support of software development. IEEE Trans. Software Eng. 18, 451–469 (1992)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Conboy, K., Fitzgerald, G., Mathiassen, L.: Qualitative methods research in information systems: motivations, themes, and contributions. Eur. J. Inf. Syst. 21(2), 113–118 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Orlikowski, W.J., Baroudi, J.J.: Studying information technology in organizations: research approaches and assumptions. Inf. Syst. Res. 2(1), 1–28 (1991)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Kokina, J., Blanchette, S.: Early evidence of digital labor in accounting: innovation with robotic process automation. Int. J. Account. Inf. Syst. 35 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Sebastiani, F.: Machine learning in automated text categorization. ACM Comput. Surv. (CSUR) 34(1), 1–47 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80335, Munich, Germany

    Johannes Viehhauser

Authors
  1. Johannes Viehhauser
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johannes Viehhauser .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Aleksandre Asatiani

  2. Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    José María García

  3. Tampere University, Tampere, Finland

    Nina Helander

  4. Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Andrés Jiménez-Ramírez

  5. Kiel University, Kiel, Germany

    Agnes Koschmider

  6. WU Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Jan Mendling

  7. Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Meroni

  8. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Hajo A. Reijers

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Viehhauser, J. (2020). Is Robotic Process Automation Becoming Intelligent? Early Evidence of Influences of Artificial Intelligence on Robotic Process Automation. In: Asatiani, A., et al. Business Process Management: Blockchain and Robotic Process Automation Forum. BPM 2020. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 393. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58779-6_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58779-6_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58778-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58779-6

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation