UiPath explains the hybrid automation architecture - why agents need workflows, not the other way around

At UiPath's Fusion conference in October, CEO Daniel Dines introduced a hybrid engine metaphor for enterprise automation: deterministic workflows on top, agents embedded where they're needed. It's a compelling framing, but the technical reality behind it deserves closer examination. To get an update, I asked UiPath VP of Product Management Taqi Jaffri to walk me through what this architecture actually looks like and why enterprises with mature RPA deployments shouldn't assume agents are coming to replace everything they've built.

The workflow as orchestration layer

In UiPath's implementation, Maestro provides the orchestration layer. Jaffri describes it as a canvas for building workflows represented as connected nodes in a graph structure, with arrows defining the sequence and conditional paths between steps. Within that graph, specific nodes can be agents rather than traditional robotic automations.

The distinction matters because agents handle tasks that resist deterministic rules. Jaffri ...