Unless you're living in a remote place with no internet access, you've heard about how artificial intelligence (AI) is trending in the tech world. You've likely also heard about automation being used more often in the workplace—more than 20% more, to be more specific. But let's look at automation vs AI, and how they work together.

Let's take a closer look at both automation and AI and how they can be combined through hyperautomation to save your business time and money.

What is automation?

Think of automation as a set of instructions to handle a specific job. Eliminating manual tasks like updating customer and employee files is very useful. Still, these instructions can be put together to do more important things.

For example, our Personalized Pitch Deck Creation Wrkflow can create custom presentations for clients, so your human team can focus on closing the deal. You can also improve your sales prospecting with the help of powerful platforms like Zendesk and Clearbit and automated workflows.

As a whole, automation can control real robots, but robotic process automation (RPA) software is used in many fields to improve the work of human teams. Automation is like a trusty assistant running in the background, freeing up resources so your teams can apply a more human touch.

Automation at a glance

  • Robotic process automation (RPA) handles specific, repetitive tasks

  • Automated tasks (like our Wrk Actions) can be combined to fit your needs

  • Automation helps your human teams excel by handling manual processes

  • Wrk Actions can be customized (such as your Twitter replies, for example)

What is artificial intelligence?

While this concept may seem simple, it's different from automation. AI can adapt based on human inputs and interactions. Essentially, AI can learn, which is useful when applying it to automated processes.

Hyperautomation is a new buzzword. It describes when someone is using automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) to do things that your human teams usually do. For example, AI can power chatbots, a popular way to communicate with customers using natural language processing to best respond to inquiries.

AI and ML can also protect your business from cyberattacks by looking for patterns and outliers. This is especially important, as hackers use the same technology to launch attacks. Whereas security software has been "rigid" in the past, AI allows it to identify new threats and deal with them in real-time.

AI at a glance 

  • AI can learn and adapt based on human input;

  • It can detect patterns and anomalies, making it ideal for security;

  • Chatbots powered by AI can serve your customers anytime, anywhere;

  • AI also enhances automation (known as hyperautomation).

Automation and AI: A winning team

There was a time when automation and AI used to be separate things. Still, they work together to help businesses in intelligent and efficient ways. The goal of these technologies is to help your current team work better and make you more money. 

Gartner says that by 2024, operational costs will be cut by 30% thanks to hyperautomation.

Your employees may be worried that automation will replace them. However, automation may even increase the demand for labour, thanks to the money saved by automating manual processes. Even higher-level jobs can benefit from automation, such as market research and payroll setup.

Learn how Wrk's Platform can unlock the power of automation and AI and give your company an edge.