What is the Difference Between AI and Automation?

What is Automation?

Think of automation as training a robot to do exactly what you tell it. If you say "A," the robot does "B." It’s all about setting rules, and the robot follows them without asking questions. The main goal? To take over repetitive, boring tasks and free us humans to do more meaningful work.

Let’s face it: when we do the same thing over and over, it gets dull. We lose focus, make mistakes, and eventually burn out. Robots, on the other hand, don’t get tired. They don’t take vacations. And unless they’re set up wrong, they rarely mess up. That makes them incredibly useful for jobs that need to be done quickly and consistently.

But don’t worry—robots aren’t coming for all our jobs. There are still plenty of tasks that require human creativity, empathy, and decision-making. The sweet spot is when automation handles the repetitive stuff, and we get to focus on what we do best.

In essence: automation is a win-win. The robot handles the boring bits, and we humans get more time to think, solve problems, and create.

So how do we actually set up automation? Well, you need to teach the robot what to do. That could mean writing code (using tools like Selenium) or using no-code platforms (like Leapwork) that let you automate tasks through visual interfaces.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is about giving machines the ability to think, speak, and act like humans. AI enables computers to do things that usually require human brainpower—like understanding language, spotting patterns, solving problems, and learning from experience.

But let’s be honest: today’s AI isn’t as advanced as people sometimes think. We’re mostly dealing with what’s called Narrow AI (NAI).

There are two big types of AI:

• Narrow AI (Weak AI): This type of AI is great at doing one specific thing. For example, recognizing faces, finding stuff online, or driving a car. It doesn’t have emotions or consciousness—it just does the job it’s trained for.

• General AI (Strong AI): This kind of AI would be able to do anything a human can do—from writing novels to solving complex ethical dilemmas. But we’re not there yet.

Examples of Narrow AI include Siri, which can tell jokes and check the weather, and ChatGPT, which can write text like this one. Generative AI, like ChatGPT or image generators, creates new content—text, images, music, video, and more—based on patterns it has learned.

Important note: today's AI doesn’t have feelings, doesn’t understand like humans do, and can’t think outside the box. Think of it more like a very smart dog that has been trained really well.

Automation vs. AI: What’s the Difference?

Now that we understand both, let’s talk about how AI and automation differ.

They both help us work smarter, but they do it in different ways. Automation is about rules and consistency. You tell it what to do, and it does exactly that, over and over. AI is more flexible. It learns from data, spots patterns, and adapts.

So while automation does what it’s told, AI figures out what to do based on what it has learned. In that sense, AI adds a layer of intelligence to automation.

For example, you might automate the sorting of emails into folders based on keywords. But if you want the system to understand the meaning of those emails and craft replies, you need AI (specifically NLP).

AI is not replacing humans. Not yet. It’s still limited to what it’s trained for. Just because an AI can beat a human at Jeopardy doesn’t mean it can play chess.

Quick Comparison: AI vs. Automation

Similarities:

• Both aim to increase productivity and reduce human workload.

• Both perform tasks (physical or digital).

• Both rely on technology to drive progress.

Differences:

• Adaptability: Automation is fixed. AI can adapt and learn.

• Application: Automation sticks to routine jobs. AI tackles complex, variable tasks.

• Technology: Automation can be simple or complex. AI uses advanced algorithms and data processing.

• Goal: Automation is about accuracy and repetition. AI is about learning and making decisions.

How AI Powers Automation

Think of AI as the brain and automation as the hands. Automation moves the data from A to B. AI decides what to do with that data.

AI can greatly enhance automation in the following ways:

• Machine Learning (ML): Predicts future outcomes (like when a machine might break).

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Powers chatbots and sentiment analysis.

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR): Turns images into usable text (think invoices or receipts).

• Computer Vision: Spots defects in products or watches surveillance footage.

• Robotics: Uses AI to guide robots in complex environments.

• Expert Systems: Makes decisions like a human expert.

• Predictive Analytics: Helps with planning and forecasting.

• Speech Recognition: Turns spoken words into text.

Real-Life Example: AI + Automation in Action

Imagine a company getting thousands of emails daily. Their small team can’t keep up. So they set up automation to sort emails by keywords.

This helps, but it doesn’t solve the full problem. That’s where AI comes in. NLP (a type of AI) can read and understand those emails, and even reply to some of them with helpful info.

This way, customers get faster responses, and the team can focus on the more complex issues.

Getting Started with AI-Based Automation

1. Identify the Business Need: Don’t adopt AI just because it’s trendy. Talk to your customers. Find out what needs fixing.

2. Research Technologies: Explore AI options that match your needs. Bring in experts if needed.

3. Choose the Right Tool: Find a tool that integrates with your current systems and supports both automation and AI.

4. Implement Slowly: Test the technology internally first. Start small, learn fast, and then scale up.

Keep Exploring

Want to dive deeper? Here are some helpful reads:

• How to test AI using Leapwork

• What is adversarial testing?

• Guide to AI-powered test automation

• What is autonomous testing?

• Download the AI and Software Quality report for executive insights

Automation and AI aren’t about replacing people. They’re about helping people do better work. Used the right way, they can make your team more efficient, your business more scalable, and your customers happier.