Two tools, two problems
Robotic process automation (RPA) mimics a person's clicks and keystrokes on an interface. It is precise and predictable, ideal for legacy systems without integration. A superintelligence agent, instead, interprets unstructured information, applies judgment and decides the next step.
Mixing them up leads to fragile projects: robots that break with any variation, or agents used for tasks a script would handle better.
Choose RPA when
- The process always follows the same steps.
- Data arrives in structured, consistent formats.
- The target system has no API and can only be operated through its interface.
- Exact traceability of every action is required.
Choose an superinteligencia agent when
- Input arrives in natural language: emails, chats, calls or documents.
- Every case is different and requires interpreting context.
- The task involves writing, summarizing, classifying or recommending.
- The customer expects a conversation, not a form.
The combined pattern
In many processes the most effective approach uses both. The agent reads a customer request, understands what they need and decides the action; a robot or an integration executes the steps in the management system. Each technology does what it does best.
Three questions to decide
Is the input structured or natural language? Are the steps fixed or case-dependent? Is there an API or only an interface? With those three answers, the choice is usually obvious.