10 Supporting RPA through natural language processing

Abstract

Natural language processing (NLP) is a field concerned with the analysis of natural language from a computational perspective. NLP techniques cover a wide range of tasks, such as information extraction, classification, and semantic analysis. As such, NLP has considerable potential to support robotic process automation (RPA) efforts. In particular, we use this chapter to highlight selected opportunities where a successful application of NLP techniques can support various stages of the RPA lifecycle. Therefore, we consider the potential of NLP for the identification of RPA opportunities and the design of RPA routines, as well as their actual execution. We discuss how these opportunities can be supported through the application of existing techniques and, furthermore, highlight open research challenges.