Automation vs AI Agents | Choose Your Solution

Three levels of automation

The world of automation divides into three distinct categories, each with its advantages and limitations.

1. Basic automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation executes repetitive and predictable tasks: copying and pasting data, filling forms, generating standardized reports. Efficient but rigid - the slightest change in the process requires reprogramming.

Ideal for: Data entry, structured information extraction, identical tasks repeated hundreds of times.

2. Intelligent automation

This generation combines RPA and machine learning. The system adapts to variations: it recognizes different invoice formats, understands poorly formatted emails, handles common exceptions.

Ideal for: Processing varied documents, automatic classification, workflows with predictable exceptions.

3. Autonomous AI agents

The current revolution. AI agents reason and decide. They understand context, set their own intermediate goals, and find creative solutions to new problems.

Ideal for: Complex tasks requiring judgment, sophisticated customer interactions, continuous process optimization.

How to choose?

The simple rule: the more the task requires human reflection, the more you need an AI agent. For perfectly standardized processes, classic automation is sufficient and costs less.

The hybrid approach

At zAgence iA, we often recommend a combined approach: basic automation for simple tasks, AI agents for complex processes. This strategy optimizes the cost/efficiency ratio.