If your organization is still married to the strict rules and rigid structures of traditional Robotic Process Automation (RPA), the idea of handing the keys over to AI might feel slightly terrifying. But here is the hard truth: the complexity of modern business is outpacing the “if-this-then-that” logic of yesterday’s bots.
The Problem with “Dutiful” Automation
Think of traditional RPA as a diligent intern who follows a checklist perfectly but freezes the moment a variable changes. It works wonders for structured tasks, but as Steven Colquitt of SS&C Blue Prism points out, the real world is non-deterministic. Inputs vary. Decisions depend on context. Outcomes shift in real-time.
When your data is unstructured and your workflows are complex, a rigid bot simply isn’t enough. You don’t just need data processing; you need reasoning.
From Following Steps to Finding Answers
The shift to Agentic AI represents a fundamental change in how we approach work. Brian Halpin, Managing Director of Automation at SS&C Blue Prism, frames it perfectly: it’s the difference between extracting data points and getting actual “answers.”
In the old model, you told the bot: “Do step one, then step two, then step three.”
In the Agentic model, you tell the AI: “I want this loan reviewed.” or “I want this customer onboarded.”
You are defining the outcome, not the method. The agent figures out the “how.”
The Trust Gap
If this sounds like a leap of faith, you aren’t alone. Giving an AI agent autonomy requires a level of trust that most businesses haven’t built yet. We know Large Language Models (LLMs) can hallucinate or drift. Stability, security, and auditability remain massive hurdles before we see fully autonomous workflows running the show.
That is why this isn’t a switch you flip overnight—it is a journey. It is about blending the reliability of your current process efficiency with the reasoning capabilities of AI.
The ROI of Reasoning
The potential upside isn’t theoretical. SS&C Technologies is currently running over 3,500 digital workers with about 35 AI agents handling complex tasks, saving hundreds of millions in run-rate benefits. They are proving that upgrading your digital workforce from “doers” to “thinkers” isn’t just cool tech—it is a massive competitive advantage.
The takeaway for founders? Don’t tear down your current automation. Instead, start looking for the friction points where rules fail and reasoning is required. That is where your new AI agents belong.
