Hyperautomation as a Catalyst for Sustainable Smart Cities: Integrating Robotic Process Automation, Generative Artificial Intelligence, and Process Intelligence for Development-Oriented Digital Transformation

Abstract

The accelerating convergence of Robotic Process Automation (RPA), generative artificial intelligence, and advanced process intelligence has fundamentally reshaped the discourse on organizational efficiency, governance, and sustainable development. While early automation initiatives focused narrowly on cost reduction and task execution, contemporary digital transformation trajectories reveal a broader paradigm shift toward hyperautomation—an integrated, intelligent, and adaptive automation ecosystem. This research article develops an extensive theoretical and empirical analysis of hyperautomation as a socio-technical system that operates at the intersection of enterprise process optimization, smart city governance, and the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing strictly on the provided body of literature, this study synthesizes insights from RPA case studies, hyperautomation frameworks in financial workflows, smart city theory, sustainable development research, and international policy perspectives on responsible artificial intelligence.

The article argues that hyperautomation is not merely an advanced stage of automation maturity but a structural enabler of systemic resilience, institutional transparency, and sustainability-driven innovation. Through deep conceptual elaboration, the study traces the evolution from rule-based RPA toward intelligent, self-learning automation systems enhanced by generative AI, process mining, and conversational interfaces. It further situates these developments within the broader transformation of urban and organizational ecosystems, emphasizing the alignment between automation-driven efficiency gains and the normative objectives of sustainable development articulated by the United Nations.

A qualitative, interpretive methodology is employed to analyze automation architectures, governance models, and implementation narratives documented in prior studies. The results highlight how hyperautomation contributes to improved service delivery, reduced resource waste, enhanced decision-making accuracy, and human-centric augmentation rather than displacement. The discussion critically examines ethical, institutional, and socio-economic constraints, including algorithmic accountability, skills polarization, and digital governance challenges. By bridging automation research with sustainability and smart city scholarship, this article offers a unified conceptual framework positioning hyperautomation as a foundational pillar of future-ready, sustainable digital societies.