As the initial hype surrounding artificial intelligence gives way to demands for tangible returns, enterprise software giant SAP is focusing on demonstrating practical applications for the technology. The company’s SAP NOW AI Tour, scheduled to arrive in London on Oct. 22, aims to show business leaders how AI agents and automation can be integrated directly into core operations to produce measurable results. The event moves the conversation beyond pilot projects and theoretical possibilities, focusing instead on how AI can be embedded within existing enterprise systems to solve real-world challenges.
The London event, held at the ExCeL centre, will provide a platform for SAP to showcase how its AI-powered solutions can connect and streamline disparate business functions, including procurement, supply chain management, finance, and human resources. By targeting leaders in both business and technology, the company seeks to illustrate a vision of a collaborative ecosystem where human workers, intelligent AI agents, and automated equipment operate in unison. This integrated approach is designed to break down traditional departmental silos, allowing for shared data and more resilient, efficient operations across entire organizations. The tour represents a significant push to prove that AI is ready to become a fundamental component of enterprise resource planning and business management.
Showcasing Integrated AI Solutions
The agenda for the SAP NOW AI Tour is structured to provide a comprehensive overview of the company’s strategy for AI deployment in enterprise environments. The event will be opened by Leila Romane, SAP’s UK and Ireland Managing Director, who will set the stage for the day’s discussions. Following her introduction, presentations from key executives, including SAP Chief Revenue Officer Emmanuel Raptopoulos and Global Business Suite President Stephan de Barse, will outline the company’s strategic vision for embedding AI into its suite of enterprise software.
A central feature of the event will be the SAP Experience Centre, which will host live demonstrations of AI-powered systems. These exhibits are designed to provide a working look at how AI agents can function alongside human employees and automated machinery in manufacturing and logistics settings. The focus is on showing how these components can communicate and adapt based on real-time data, creating a more dynamic and responsive operational environment. Sessions will cover a wide range of specific business processes, from improving supply chain resilience and streamlining manufacturing to enabling sustainable sourcing and optimizing financial reporting.
The Rise of Collaborative Ecosystems
A key concept being promoted by SAP is the development of “collaborative ecosystems” within the enterprise. This model involves the close interaction of human employees with sophisticated AI agents, which are advanced software programs capable of autonomously completing complex, multi-step tasks. These are not simple automation bots but intelligent systems that can manage processes like issuing purchase orders, updating inventory records, or generating detailed reports based on a combination of predefined rules and machine learning models. The demonstrations at the event will highlight how these agents operate within larger workflows.
Distinguishing Business AI
SAP draws a clear distinction between its “business AI” and more general-purpose AI systems. The company’s approach involves training AI models on an organization’s specific enterprise data, including information about its customers, suppliers, inventory levels, and operational histories. This ensures that the AI’s functions are highly relevant and tailored to the unique processes of the business. Unlike consumer-facing AI, which handles a wide array of queries, business AI is designed for precision and deep integration into core commercial activities. This specialized focus allows the AI agents to handle exceptions and make decisions within parameters established by human managers, making them a powerful tool for augmenting human capabilities rather than simply replacing them.
Real-World Enterprise Implementations
To ground its technological demonstrations in tangible outcomes, SAP will feature presentations from customers who are already using its AI tools. Thomas Holtmanns of Vodafone Group Services will share insights from the telecommunications giant’s implementation of SAP’s AI solutions. He will be joined by Michele Pietsch from Renewable Power Capital, an investment firm specializing in energy projects, who will discuss how her organization is leveraging the technology. These customer stories are critical for attendees, as they provide direct evidence of how the platforms perform in complex, real-world business environments and offer a roadmap for other leaders considering similar integrations.
Transforming Core Business Units
The event will delve into the specific ways AI is set to transform key corporate departments. The sessions are designed to show how integrated systems allow these traditionally separate functions to share data and insights, leading to more cohesive and strategic decision-making across the board. The goal is to move beyond isolated AI projects within a single department and toward a fully connected enterprise where intelligence flows freely between different operational areas.
Procurement and Supply Chain
For leaders in procurement and supply chain management, the tour will demonstrate AI tools that can perform deep analysis of supplier data to proactively identify potential risks. These systems can monitor multi-tier supply chains, flagging vulnerabilities that may not be apparent through manual review. Furthermore, the AI can suggest alternative sourcing strategies based on a wide range of variables, including cost, reliability, and sustainability metrics. This capability is crucial for building the kind of resilience required to navigate modern geopolitical and economic disruptions, allowing companies to adapt quickly to changing market conditions.
Finance and Human Resources
In the financial sector, professionals will be shown AI applications focused on automating and enhancing financial planning, reporting, and compliance tasks. These tools can accelerate closing cycles, improve forecast accuracy, and ensure adherence to regulatory standards with greater efficiency. For human resources teams, the event will explore AI-driven platforms for strategic workforce planning and more effective employee management. By analyzing workforce data, these systems can help leaders identify skills gaps, predict attrition, and optimize talent acquisition and development programs to align with long-term business objectives.
A Platform for Innovation and Networking
Beyond the scheduled presentations and demonstrations, the SAP NOW AI Tour aims to foster a collaborative environment. The day is set to conclude with a dedicated networking session, providing attendees with the opportunity to connect directly with SAP’s technical staff, implementation partners, and other users of the company’s software. This allows for informal knowledge sharing and the chance to discuss specific challenges and solutions with peers from various industries.
Adding a unique element to the day, the event will feature a keynote presentation from Steven Frayne, the performer formerly known as Dynamo the Magician, who will likely draw parallels between the art of illusion and the transformative power of technology. In her promotional statements, Leila Romane emphasized that the event is designed to “inspire, inform and connect leaders across industries.” She noted that the ultimate goal is to help them understand how AI can be a powerful lever to “accelerate growth, efficiency and innovation” within their own organizations, moving the technology from a topic of discussion to a cornerstone of modern enterprise strategy.
