# RPA (Robotic Process Automation)

> Robotic process automation (RPA) is software that automates tasks by mimicking how a person uses applications: clicking buttons, typing into fields, copying data between screens and reading files. RPA bots follow fixed scripts and are often used with legacy systems that lack APIs. Common platforms include UiPath, Automation Anywhere and the desktop flows in Microsoft Power Automate.

## Why it matters for your business

RPA can automate work in old or locked-down systems where no API exists, which is sometimes the only option. Its weakness is brittleness: bots depend on screen layouts, so an interface update, a pop-up or an unexpected input can stop them. RPA also struggles with unstructured inputs such as varied emails and documents. Many teams now combine approaches, using APIs where available, AI for reading and judgment, and RPA only for the remaining steps that must go through a user interface.

## Example

A regional insurer's claims team copies data from emailed claim forms into a decades-old policy system with no API. An RPA bot handles the data entry by navigating the system's screens. An AI step upstream now reads the varied email formats and produces a clean record for the bot, which used to fail whenever a form arrived in an unexpected layout.

Related terms: https://www.lumeor.studio/glossary/business-process-automation/, https://www.lumeor.studio/glossary/intelligent-document-processing/, https://www.lumeor.studio/glossary/ai-agent/, https://www.lumeor.studio/glossary/api-application-programming-interface/

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Source: https://www.lumeor.studio/glossary/rpa-robotic-process-automation/