Workflow automation is one those perennial technology efficiency promises that has never quite delivered but never goes away. The appeal of the idea is obvious, being able to easily direct computers to perform process tasks without deep technical expertise is the holy grail of the promise of computers. The excitement around AI agents is the latest incarnation of this promise. Workflow automation can be implemented in many forms, the most common is some sort of visual composition approach. Drag-n-drop workflow builders for instance are quite common. The fundamental problem that workflow automation has faced is that it attempts to allow non-programmers to...well, program. This is a fundamental contradiction that always reveals itself once one tries to use these products to do anything beyond the demo reel. More recent takes on the idea have taken on the problem with a hybrid approach, ie code when you need it and UI when you don't,...this is the literal tagline that the popular work...
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