Narrowly defined, the RPA market is small, with sales of no more than $3bn last year, estimates Saikat Ray of Gartner, a research firm. So UiPath and its rivals have built "automation platforms", which include programs to identify tasks and others to perform them. By automating ever more processes, such tools create their own demand. In this broader view, sometimes called "hyperautomation", RPA could generate $30bn a year in the next three to five years, says Mr Ray. Bain, a consultancy, puts the figure at $65bn.