Why does Automator need the discrete GPU? My 15" MacBook Pro with Retina was getting quite hot while I was just browsing the web, so I opened Maverick's Activity Monitor to see what was using so much energy. I discovered that the discrete graphics card was active, and the apparent reason for this was Automator was open (but without any windows/documents open).

Why on earth does Automator need the discrete graphics card and not just the integrated graphics?
Some of the Automator actions, such as those pertaining to Quartz, use the discrete GPU (if available). It may be a stability thing to require the discrete GPU on launch (similar to VMware Fusion). If you regularly use Automator and don't use the Quartz filters (or don't care about the performance gain) it should be safe to use gfxCardStatus. Just select Integrated Only before launching Automator.