RPA in 2035: My Predictions as a Technology Futurist
Opening Summary
According to Gartner, the global robotic process automation market is projected to reach $13.74 billion by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 17.5%. But these numbers barely scratch the surface of what I believe is coming. In my work with Fortune 500 companies across multiple industries, I’ve witnessed RPA evolve from simple task automation to becoming the backbone of digital transformation strategies. What began as a tool to automate repetitive back-office tasks is rapidly transforming into something far more profound – an intelligent automation ecosystem that will fundamentally reshape how organizations operate.
The current state of RPA reminds me of where cloud computing was a decade ago – organizations are still grappling with implementation challenges while the technology itself is evolving at breakneck speed. As noted by McKinsey & Company, organizations that have successfully scaled RPA implementations are already seeing 30-200% returns on their initial investments. But this is just the beginning. The RPA landscape we know today will be unrecognizable in ten years, and business leaders who fail to understand this transformation risk being left behind.
Main Content: Top Three Business Challenges
Challenge 1: The Integration Gap Between Legacy Systems and Modern AI
The single biggest challenge I consistently encounter in my consulting work is what I call the “integration gap.” Organizations are sitting on decades of legacy systems that weren’t designed to work with modern AI-driven automation tools. As Harvard Business Review notes, “The average Fortune 500 company maintains over 400 different applications, many of which were built before the concept of API-first design even existed.”
I recently consulted with a major financial institution that had successfully implemented RPA for individual processes but struggled to create a cohesive automation strategy. Their RPA bots were operating in silos, unable to share intelligence or learn from each other. This fragmentation creates what Deloitte research identifies as “automation islands” – isolated pockets of efficiency that fail to deliver transformative business value. The impact is substantial: organizations invest millions in RPA implementation only to achieve marginal improvements rather than the exponential growth they anticipated.
Challenge 2: The Talent and Skills Mismatch
The rapid evolution of RPA technology has created a significant skills gap that threatens to derail automation initiatives. According to World Economic Forum research, 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025 as adoption of technology increases. However, in my experience, the challenge runs deeper than technical skills alone.
I’ve worked with organizations where the IT department builds sophisticated RPA solutions that business users either don’t understand or actively resist. Meanwhile, business teams identify automation opportunities that technical teams struggle to implement effectively. This disconnect creates what PwC describes as “automation paralysis” – organizations become so overwhelmed by the complexity of scaling RPA that they fail to capture its full potential. The business impact is clear: stalled digital transformation initiatives, wasted resources, and missed competitive advantages.
Challenge 3: Scalability and Governance Limitations
Many organizations successfully pilot RPA in controlled environments but struggle dramatically when attempting to scale across the enterprise. As Accenture research shows, while 85% of organizations have piloted RPA, only 13% have successfully scaled their automation programs. This scalability challenge represents what I consider the most significant barrier to RPA’s transformative potential.
In one particularly telling case, a manufacturing client I advised had deployed over 200 RPA bots across different departments without centralized governance. The result was what Gartner calls “automation sprawl” – redundant processes, conflicting automation rules, and significant maintenance overhead. Without proper governance frameworks, organizations find themselves managing hundreds or even thousands of individual automation instances, each requiring maintenance, updates, and monitoring. The business implications are severe: rising costs, decreased reliability, and ultimately, disillusionment with automation’s promise.
Solutions and Innovations
The good news is that innovative solutions are emerging to address these challenges head-on. From my observations working with leading organizations, three approaches are proving particularly effective:
Intelligent Automation Platforms
First, intelligent automation platforms that combine RPA with AI and machine learning are bridging the integration gap. Companies like UiPath and Automation Anywhere are developing what IDC describes as “hyperautomation” solutions that can understand process context, make intelligent decisions, and learn from outcomes. I’ve seen organizations using these platforms achieve what was previously impossible – creating automation systems that improve over time rather than simply executing predefined rules.
Citizen Developer Programs
Second, the emergence of citizen developer programs is addressing the talent mismatch. Organizations like IBM and Microsoft are implementing low-code automation platforms that enable business users to create and modify automation workflows with minimal technical expertise. As Forbes reports, companies that successfully implement citizen developer programs see 50% faster automation deployment and significantly higher user adoption rates.
Automation Centers of Excellence
Third, centralized automation centers of excellence (CoEs) are solving scalability challenges. In my consulting practice, I’ve helped organizations establish CoEs that provide governance frameworks, best practices, and centralized management for all automation initiatives. According to Deloitte research, organizations with mature automation CoEs are 75% more likely to achieve their automation ROI targets and scale successfully across the enterprise.
The Future: Projections and Forecasts
Looking ahead to 2035, I project that RPA will evolve into what I call “Cognitive Process Orchestration” – systems that don’t just automate tasks but actively manage and optimize entire business processes. According to McKinsey & Company, automation technologies could potentially deliver global economic activity of $4 trillion to $5 trillion annually by 2030. But I believe this estimate is conservative given the acceleration we’re witnessing.
2024-2027: Intelligent Automation and Hyperautomation
- $13.74B global RPA market by 2028 (17.5% CAGR – Gartner)
- 30-200% ROI for successful RPA implementations (McKinsey)
- 400+ different applications creating integration complexity (Harvard Business Review)
- 50% employees needing reskilling by 2025 (World Economic Forum)
2028-2032: Cognitive Process Orchestration and Quantum Integration
- $4-5T annual economic activity from automation technologies (McKinsey)
- 80% large organizations implementing intelligent automation by 2026 (IDC)
- 75% higher ROI achievement with mature automation CoEs (Deloitte)
- 50% faster deployment through citizen developer programs (Forbes)
2033-2035: Autonomous Business Operations and Self-Healing Systems
- $30.85B global RPA market by 2030 (Grand View Research)
- Self-healing automation systems detecting and correcting errors autonomously
- Quantum computing enabling complex decision tree processing
- Integration with IoT and blockchain creating new automation categories
2035+: Organizational Consciousness and Autonomous Operations
- RPA evolving into Cognitive Process Orchestration
- Complete convergence with artificial intelligence
- Self-optimizing business processes becoming standard
- Redefinition of human work and organizational structures
Final Take: 10-Year Outlook
The RPA industry is heading toward complete convergence with artificial intelligence, creating what will essentially become autonomous business operations. Over the next decade, we’ll witness the transition from task automation to process intelligence to ultimately, organizational consciousness. The opportunities are staggering: organizations that master this transition will achieve unprecedented efficiency, agility, and innovation capacity.
However, the risks are equally significant. Companies that treat RPA as a tactical cost-cutting tool rather than a strategic capability will find themselves outmaneuvered by more visionary competitors. The key transformations will include the emergence of self-optimizing business processes, the democratization of automation creation, and ultimately, the redefinition of human work itself. Success will require not just technological investment but fundamental organizational and cultural transformation.
Ian Khan’s Closing
In my two decades of studying technological evolution, I’ve learned that the most successful organizations aren’t those that simply adopt new technologies, but those that fundamentally reimagine what’s possible. As I often tell leadership teams: “Automation isn’t about doing the same things faster; it’s about creating space for what truly matters.”
The future of RPA represents one of the most significant business transformations of our lifetime. Organizations that approach it with vision, courage, and strategic foresight will not just survive the coming changes – they will thrive in ways we can barely imagine today.
To dive deeper into the future of RPA and gain actionable insights for your organization, I invite you to:
- Read my bestselling books on digital transformation and future readiness
- Watch my Amazon Prime series ‘The Futurist’ for cutting-edge insights
- Book me for a keynote presentation, workshop, or strategic leadership intervention to prepare your team for what’s ahead
About Ian Khan
Ian Khan is a globally recognized keynote speaker, bestselling author, and prolific thinker and thought leader on emerging technologies and future readiness. Shortlisted for the prestigious Thinkers50 Future Readiness Award, Ian has advised Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, and global leaders on navigating digital transformation and building future-ready organizations. Through his keynote presentations, bestselling books, and Amazon Prime series “The Futurist,” Ian helps organizations worldwide understand and prepare for the technologies shaping our tomorrow.
