Product blog · Decision
ASB vs classic RPA vs AI desktop agents
A practical three-way comparison so you can pick the right harness — and know when Automation Skill Builder is the wrong fit.
One-paragraph summary
Classic RPA platforms optimize durable enterprise bots, orchestration, and control-room governance. Many AI desktop agents optimize sandboxed or cloud-hosted “computer use.” Automation Skill Builder (ASB) optimizes local-first capture → deterministic host-native skills, with optional MCP so Cursor/VS Code can call those skills — without requiring Hyper-V or a cloud operator for runtime execution.
Comparison table
| Dimension | Classic RPA | AI desktop agents | ASB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary strength | Governance, scale, certified bots | Open-ended computer use / planning | Fast local skill packaging + MCP reuse |
| Runtime AI | Usually none for scripted bots | Often model-in-the-loop each run | AI for authoring; deterministic skill runs |
| Host model | Robots / VDI / attended-unattended | VM sandbox or cloud operator common | Host-native local control plane |
| Hyper-V / VM prerequisite | Depends on vendor design | Often required for local sandboxes | Not mandatory to start |
| Assistant integration | Vendor connectors / APIs | Built into the agent product | Optional local MCP tools |
| Best when | Enterprise CoE, audit-heavy fleets | Exploratory tasks that stay dynamic | Repeatable desktop/API flows you own |
When ASB fits
- You can run software on the real Windows/macOS host (including locked-down Server images).
- You want AI to help record/design once, then ship a reusable skill or executable.
- You want Cursor / VS Code / other MCP clients to call those skills locally.
- You prefer local-first execution and periodic license file refresh over per-call cloud entitlement.
When you should not use ASB
- You require a vendor’s full VM isolation model on every endpoint as a hard security baseline.
- You need a fully managed cloud operator with no local host responsibilities.
- Your primary requirement is certified RPA control-room governance / CoE tooling (pick classic RPA).
- Every run must be reinterpreted by an online model with no solidified skill (pick an AI agent product).
- You expect ASB to replace human review on regulated decisions — it does not.
Specs travel. A fine-grained process spec can later be re-consumed in ASB or mapped to RPA primitives — see Spec-Driven. Positioning vs VM-first agents: product positioning.