AI is the next step of automation. It extends automation to the human steps physical automation never reached — the data entry, the matching, the checking, the routing. The reliable pattern is exception-based: AI handles the routine, and the edge cases go to a person.
The payoff is capacity, not headcount cuts. Deleting the busywork frees your most experienced people for the improvement projects they've been deferring — and captures their expertise before it walks out the door. Automate the step, elevate the person.