How genAI is fueling Automation Anywhere’s LatAm growth prospects

California-based firm Automation Anywhere is projecting double-digit sales growth for its Latin American and Brazilian operations this year on the back of the generative AI (genAI) boom.

“We're at a very interesting moment. Speaking of Brazil specifically, the automation market is on the rise. We just closed a strong Q3 and the expectation is for 20-25% growth in the country this year,” Márcio Lebrão, the company’s regional president for Brazil, told BNamericas.

Founded in 2003 in San Jose, Automation Anywhere is currently one of the leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) companies in the world. 

It competes with UiPath, currently the global leader in the field, and BluePrism, among others. Depending on the segment, other competitors include SAP, Microsoft and Oracle.

RPA is a software technology that uses virtual robots to automate repetitive tasks, such as logging into applications, moving files, extracting data, filling in forms and completing reports.

With genAI, the prospects are that the RPA segment will gain more "intelligence" with the new capabilities for data integration, reporting and correlation, according to Lebrão.

“RPA is perhaps the most visible face of generative AI,” said the executive.

This is the case of RPA for chatbots. GenAI is also seen as speeding up the programming of RPA bots, among other back-office functions to be bolstered.

Client base

Automation Anywhere's main clients include giants such as Petrobras, Vale and Eletrobras, as well as large banks such as Bradesco. Across Latin America, Automation Anywhere has around 600 clients, according to the executive.

Brazil represents about 40% of the company's business in the region, which is divided into four business units: North of Latin America, South of Latin America, Brazil and Mexico.

With Vale, the company says it has more than 350 automation processes in production. According to Lebrão, AI-driven automation has already increased productivity and helped the mining firm reduce costs by around US$2mn.

Petrobras had savings of US$120mn in three weeks with Automation Anywhere's genAI solution, according to the RPA company.

Most of the growth projected for this year should come from new contracts and new purchases made precisely by clients that are already in Automation's user base.

Looking ahead, the bet is for a strong start in 2025.

“Q4 is usually a strong quarter in Brazil. This period in November and December is usually when companies close their budgets. We have good expectations of going into 2025 with a significant backlog of contracts," said Lebrão.