Will AI Kill Robotic Process Automation?

InnovationTransportationWill AI Kill Robotic Process Automation?BySteve Banker,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover logistics and supply chain management.Follow AuthorJun 03, 2026, 01:42pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Frederik Aakerlund, the CIO at Lemvigh-MüllerLemvigh-MüllerSeveral SAP customers with AI success stories spoke at SAP’s Sapphire conference in Madrid. These case stories involved AI based on Large Language models. My favorite supply chain case story involved AI replacing Robotic Process Automation.RPA is a software technology that uses virtual workers or "bots" to automate repetitive, rule-based digital tasks. By mimicking human interaction with graphical user interfaces (clicks, keystrokes, and data entry), RPA automates back-office work.Lemvigh-MüllerI had a chance to speak with Frederik Aakerlund, the CIO at Lemvigh-Müller, about this 180-year-old Danish wholesaler in the building products industry. The company is the largest wholesaler of steel and technical installations in Denmark. Lemvigh-Müller has largely standardized on SAP applications. Their first AI case was focused on EDI or orders placed on their website. “In a perfect world, our suppliers would digitally transform their data,” Mr. Aakerlund explained, which would make purchasing more accurate and efficient. PO/order confirmation is a key supply chain process. When done correctly, it contributes to the perfect order – the right goods delivered on time and in full. “But the perfect world doesn't exist. About 50% of our suppliers don't use EDI. So, we send a purchase order to these suppliers, and they send back a PDF order confirmation. Then we open it in an email.” There can be deviations from the SKUs they order, the quantities ordered, the cost of those items, or the delivery and payment terms.MORE FOR YOU“We have tried to...