Trends and Tools:

Intelligent Automation Platforms: Platforms like UiPath, Blue Prism, and Automation Anywhere are integrating AI capabilities to perform complex tasks and make decisions based on historical data and predictive analytics.

Hyperautomation: This involves the use of advanced technologies like machine learning, artificial intelligence, and RPA to automate processes beyond traditional rule-based tasks. Gartner identifies hyperautomation as a key trend, enabling organizations to automate everything that can be automated.

Cognitive RPA: Tools like Kofax and AntWorks are incorporating natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to enable bots to handle unstructured data and perform complex decision-making tasks.

Applications:

Automated Customer Support: Use of chatbots and virtual assistants to handle customer inquiries.
Financial Transactions: Automating routine financial tasks like invoice processing, payroll, and reporting.
Supply Chain Management: Streamlining inventory management, order processing, and logistics.