Is automated trading useful for beginners?

I’ve recently started looking into automated trading because I simply don’t have enough time to watch the markets throughout the day. The idea sounds convenient, but I’m still trying to understand what is actually involved before I try anything. I’ve seen people talk about bots, predefined strategies, algorithms and automatic order execution, but there seems to be a big difference between the various platforms. I’m not expecting some magic system that makes money without any risk. I’d mainly like to understand how automated trading works, what a beginner should look for, and what mistakes are worth avoiding when choosing a platform or strategy. Is there a good introduction that explains the basics in fairly simple terms?