Robotic Process Automation Tools, Process Automation and their Benefits: Understanding RPA and Intelligent Automation

Software bots have been working through back-office screens for a decade. Now AI agents can read, decide and act on their own. Most operations leaders are being asked to buy one, the other, or both — before anyone has checked whether the process is worth automating at all. This 2026 edition is written from the operator's side of that decision. It keeps the foundation of the 2018 edition — what RPA is, how bots work, where they pay off — and adds eight new chapters on the questions teams are asking now, including a real example of agentic AI with human sign-off from the author's own offshore operation: When a rules-based bot is still the right tool, when an AI agent earns its place, and when you need both Why a broken process has to be fixed before it is automated Old systems with no API: RPA versus AI agents that work the screen Keeping people in the loop, with an audit trail a reviewer can follow Where offshore teams fit alongside bots and agents How to evaluate vendors and run a pilot that tells you something A 20-question readiness self-check, scored in full on a worked example, and a plan for your first 90 days No promised savings, no hype. Every statistic is sourced, every example is labelled, and every chapter ends with takeaways you can act on. About the author: Srikanth Merianda has 28 years in IT and holds RPA certifications from UiPath, Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism. He builds automation and runs offshore delivery and staffing businesses.