5 RPA-Frameworks, die jeder AI-Produktmanager unbedingt abspeichern sollte

In the past two years, RPA+AI (Intelligent Automated Process) has often been mentioned. In the process of digital transformation of enterprises/institutions, automation and intelligence are important ways to improve efficiency, and the first step towards automation and intelligence is Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

If we want to build an automated operation desktop and the counterpart system, then RPA is a solution. The following article is from the sharing of andflow, and I have integrated the principles of the RPA open - source framework. I'd like to share the RPA framework with those students who are now hoping to do data docking but can't get the interfaces. I believe it can enhance your product capabilities. And yesterday's AutoGLM is an application of RPA on mobile phones.

1. What is RPA?

If RPA is compared to the trunk nerves of a human, then AI is the human brain.

What this AI brain aims to achieve is intelligence; while RPA executes business processes by configuring automated software to simulate the actions of humans interacting in software systems. RPA software robots identify data on the application program interface and manipulate applications like humans. RPA software interacts with other systems according to rules and performs various repetitive tasks as needed.

I think RPA (Robotic Process Automation) itself contains the content of AI. It is a technology that, based on artificial intelligence and automation technology, interacts with existing systems according to pre - defined processes and specifications to complete expected tasks.

Unlike data crawlers, RPA is a purely visual tool. It knows where the buttons are and where the page layout is by identifying the pixel points on the computer desktop, thus completing the operation task flow.

2. What kind of AI products can RPA create?

With RPA, tasks can naturally be completed automatically. The computer can operate on the desktop naturally without manual intervention. It can know which applications to open and which buttons to click to complete a certain operation.

By simulating the trajectory of human computer operation, it can complete the automated operation of the desktop system just like a mouse and keyboard. It can not only handle desktop applications but also operations within the applications.

3. Five Best Open - Source RPA Frameworks

In the current open - source market of RPA, the highly recommended frameworks are: Robot Framework, Taskt, UI.Vision, OpenRPA, and TagUI.

(1) Robot Framework RPA

https://github.com/robotframework/robotframework

Robot Framework is one of the most professional and advanced open - source RPA tools. It can help enterprises provide rich business process automation services in a cost - effective way. It can support organizations to implement and run enterprise - level robot applications and intelligently handle complex business processes.

Currently, the open - source license is Apache2.0, and it has 11K stars.

Robot Framework can greatly simplify business operations, improve IT infrastructure, reduce workload and costs, and at the same time improve the overall flexibility of the enterprise. It has good scalability, can establish virtual employees for enterprises, and can be easily integrated with other automation tools to automate business processes.

Its language requirements:

(2) Taskt

https://github.com/saucepleez/taskt

Taskt (formerly known as sharpRPA) is a free, open - source, and interesting process automation software. It provides an easy - to - use operation interface, and robots can be created without coding or using a minimum number of commands (no - code, low - code approach).

The most significant advantage of Taskt is its screen recorder. The recorder has multiple recording functions and can record various user activities to create robot scripts based on the recorded information. In addition, it also includes a visual script generator with a drag - and - drop mechanism to design robot models in the "what you see is what you get" designer. It also provides dozens of commands, such as custom code execution, image recognition, and OCR.

Taskt provides online examples and test websites for developers. You can choose to try the existing demos or configure your own cases according to your actual needs. All manuals, guides, and operation methods can be found on the Taskt website.

Currently, it is written in C# and also supports the Apache2.0 license.

(3) UI.Vision

https://github.com/A9T9/RPA

UI.Vision is a cross - platform open - source RPA tool that supports Windows, macOS, and Linux. It can run independently on the desktop, directly simulating keyboard and mouse operations to complete local tasks; it can also act as a browser plugin and be installed in Firefox, Chrome, or Edge with one click to achieve web - level automation. The whole process is a visual operation, no scripting is required, and the process can be built with just a few clicks. More importantly, UI.Vision follows the highest standards in the RPA industry in terms of data security, allowing enterprises to use it with confidence.

However, it currently does not support commercial copyright use. Commercial use requires a paid commercial license.

Its language requirements:

(4) OpenRPA

https://github.com/open - rpa/openrpa

OpenRPA is one of the best free tools in the current RPA market. It has a drag - and - drop visual interface, is very mature and easy to use, and can be used by enterprises of any size. This solution has a very active community that is actively contributing to the project, and the software is updated very frequently.

OpenRPA is developed using C# and JavaScript technologies and provides functions such as remote management, status support, analysis dashboard, scheduling, and planning functions. It can be integrated with various cloud providers.

(5) TagUI

https://github.com/aisingapore/TagUI

TagUI is an open - source, cross - platform RPA tool that supports both the command line and provides a visual interface to automatically perform keyboard and mouse operations. It is recognized as the most suitable RPA platform for remote deployment: cloud - hosted, can be updated without downtime, and up to 15 sessions can be managed simultaneously from anywhere in the world via PC, mobile phone, or tablet. All company data is only stored on local devices and not on the cloud, completely eliminating the risk of information leakage.

It is worth noting that TagUi supports being inserted into Office as a plugin. So, if you have many office scenarios, you can choose this open - source tool.

Its language requirements:

Finally, what can AI product managers do with RPA?

In a nutshell, RPA can automate the operation of desktop applications. However, these applications need to be well - known first. If the applications are rare, manual marking and training need to be done in advance to let RPA remember the operation trajectory, so as to complete data acquisition and automated tasks.

At the same time, in the construction process, try to use open - source licenses instead of choosing those that require commercial authorization to complete RPA.

Of course, the most important thing is to combine AI models with RPA to achieve automation, rather than relying on just an RPA tool. Therefore, choosing the right model will naturally improve the efficiency of RPA.

That's all for today's sharing.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Kevin's Little Bits of Changing the World" (ID: Kevingbsjddd), author: Kevin's Stories. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.