Episode #76 | Nandan Mullakara | On the deception of clarity, and the challenge of scaling control

In this episode, Lasse Rindom speaks with Nandan Mullakara, automation strategist and author, about the future of automation and how AI, RPA, and APIs are evolving - not competing. Their conversation moves from the practical to the philosophical, exploring what happens when orchestration itself becomes intelligent:

• Why it’s not AI or RPA, but AI and RPA - and how the “AND operator” mindset might be the real key to modern automation and IT
• The difference between legibility and illegibility in business systems, and how AI challenges our instinct to make everything orderly
• Why AI doesn’t eliminate work but actually creates more of it - and what that means for digital maturity
• The coming tension between control and trust as organizations hand over decisions to machine intelligence
• How agentic automation could dissolve the boundaries between processes, people, and systems

It’s a conversation about cycles, complexity, and coexistence - and why, in Nandan’s words, RPA was never born and will never die.

Do you want to know more about Nandan Mullakare?

Nandan Mullakara is a globally recognized leader in AI‑led automation and Agentic AI, ranked among the Top 200 World’s Most Influential Voices in AI by Favikon. He is co‑author of best‑selling books Agentic Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation Projects, cited widely across academia and industry (Google Scholar). He is featured in Onalytica’s Who’s Who in Automation.

As the founder of Bot Nirvana, Nandan advises enterprises on Agentic AI and Intelligent Automation—from strategy and operating models to measurable outcomes. He also hosts the Bot Nirvana AI & Automation Podcast, ranked among the top shows in its category for pragmatic, practitioner‑first conversations.

Previously, Nandan led Robotic Process Automation (RPA) practice and Application Managed Services (AMS) projects at Fujitsu Americas. He has driven initiatives for global companies such as Honeywell, BCBS, Canon, and Embraer.

His insights and articles have been featured by esteemed outlets including Forbes, Solutions Review, Tech Report, and Packt. Explore interviews on Onalytica, Engatica, Excelcult, Coding over Cocktails, and Kieran Gilmurray.