Age of Invisible Machines

CHAPTER 7Learning the Terms

As should be expected with a complex set of emergent technologies, there aren't universally agreed-upon terms or definitions used to describe hyperautomation. I'm not trying to dictate what's right or wrong—I'm simply explaining what I mean when I say what I say. It's important to remember that the definitions provided below are specific to the context of the automated technologies and the ecosystems they operate within.

• Intelligent automation: This term refers to automations that continually improve without human intervention using machine learning. True self-driving cars, while in their infancy, are an example of intelligent automation. If an OS can sequence the many different technologies required to drive a car, drive that car safely, and continue to improve its ability to drive, that's intelligent automation. The same intelligent automation, when thriving inside an open ecosystem of technologies, can make companies self-driving as well. Humans are still at the wheel, but more and more rudimentary tasks are automated, freeing up time to focus on higher-level problems.
• Hyperautomation: When intelligent automation is regularly taking place within an ecosystem of orchestrated technologies, an organization is hyperautomating. This puts them in a position to quickly identify, vet, and automate business and IT processes at scale, providing an outsized advantage over competitors. There is a fair amount of interchangeability in the way hyperautomation ...