What is the difference between workflow automation and AI automation?

Rules vs. patterns 

Workflow automation works with fixed rules: if this trigger, then that step; routing forms, approvals, connections between systems. There is no "learning" at its core, but there is a lot to gain if processes are currently manual or fragmented. 

AI automation uses patterns in data: classification, summarisation, recommendations, predictive signals. It requires data quality, evaluation and often human oversight where errors are costly. 

Practical advice 

Often the right approach is: tighten up the workflow first, then apply AI where the business case and the data support it. That way you avoid a chatbot "accelerating" a chaotic process. 

More context: What we do : automation and AI.