AI Automation Glossary
Key terms and definitions for AI automation, autoshoring, and intelligent business systems.
A
Agentic AI
An approach to artificial intelligence where AI systems act as autonomous agents — planning, reasoning, and executing tasks independently rather than responding to individual prompts. Agentic AI represents the shift from AI as a tool to AI as a worker.
AI Agents
Autonomous AI systems that can perceive their environment, make decisions, and take actions to achieve specific goals. Unlike chatbots that follow scripts, AI agents can handle multi-step workflows, use tools, and adapt to new situations.
Autoshoring
The practice of using AI agents and intelligent automation to perform business tasks previously outsourced to offshore teams or handled by manual labor. Autoshoring brings work back in-house using AI that operates 24/7 at a fraction of the cost of human labor.
D
Digital Workers
AI-powered software agents designed to perform specific job functions within a business — such as receptionist, data entry clerk, or scheduling coordinator. Digital workers operate continuously and can be deployed alongside human teams.
H
HIPAA-Compliant AI
AI tools and systems that meet the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for handling protected health information (PHI). This includes encryption, access controls, audit logging, and Business Associate Agreements (BAAs).
I
Intelligent Automation
The combination of AI, machine learning, and robotic process automation (RPA) to automate end-to-end business processes. Unlike basic automation that follows rigid rules, intelligent automation can handle exceptions, learn from data, and make judgments.
R
RPA (Robotic Process Automation)
Software technology that automates repetitive, rule-based tasks by mimicking human interactions with digital systems. RPA bots follow predetermined scripts and cannot adapt to new situations, making them less flexible than AI agents.