---
title: "Robotic process automation (RPA): Definition"
description: "Software robots that repeat fixed steps by operating user interfaces as a person would. Best for legacy systems without APIs; brittle when interfaces chang"
canonical: https://sudosapient.si/terms/rpa
updated: 2026-10-27
publisher: Sudo Sapient (https://sudosapient.com/)
---
# Robotic process automation (RPA)

**Robotic process automation (RPA):** Software robots that repeat fixed steps by operating user interfaces as a person would. Best for legacy systems without APIs; brittle when interfaces change.

## Why it matters

RPA remains useful for stable, structured, high-volume tasks in systems without APIs. It struggles when screens change or inputs vary, which is where AI models help. Many modern systems combine the two: RPA or APIs for moving data between systems, a model for reading and deciding, and people for exceptions.

## Related terms

- [AI automation](https://sudosapient.si/terms/ai-automation): Automation in which AI models perform judgement steps (classifying, extracting, drafting, routing) inside a workflow that also uses deterministic rules and a human review path.

## Where it comes up

- [What is the difference between AI automation and RPA?](https://sudosapient.si/answers/what-is-the-difference-between-ai-automation-and-rpa)
- [AI Automation vs RPA vs Workflow Tools: Which Does Your Process Need?](https://sudosapient.si/entries/ai-automation-vs-rpa)
- [Agentic AI for Business: What It Is and What Actually Works](https://sudosapient.si/entries/what-is-agentic-ai-for-business)

## In practice

In a Sudo Sapient sprint, this sits inside AI Automation: one operational workflow taken from manual to automated in 6–8 weeks, with human review on uncertain cases. See [the services page on sudosapient.com](https://sudosapient.com/services/).