Looking Ahead to 2025’s Trends in AI and Automation

Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are among the hottest topics in the SAP space and beyond. Yet many companies are unsure whether or not they are prepared to adopt these advanced capabilities.

SAPinsider’s recent AI: State of Adoption 2024 benchmark research report found that just 46% of respondents said that they were adequately prepared for the AI advancements that are expected in the next five years. The remaining respondents were evenly split between saying they were unprepared for the future of AI, or unsure of where they stood.

Understanding the Future

To help SAP organizations prepare for what the future of AI and automation holds, we recently spoke with xSuite senior consultant SAP Sanjeev Gupta. He has two decades of experience in the SAP space, with five years of focus on AI and automation.

Gupta says that companies that want to use AI and automation should find specific areas to target where these technologies can be especially impactful, particularly in the finance area.

“There are few areas which provide the most return on investment: if they are repetitive tasks, tasks which are mundane but necessary, or areas where there are some forecasting or planning insights needed to be extracted from the data. AI can process huge volumes of data and documents to provide insights and information which will be difficult for a human to find,” said Gupta.

Using AI to process data and generate actionable insights can help empower decision-makers to steer their organizations better. Improved forecasting and planning tools that deliver actionable insights are among the most sought-after capabilities among CFOs and other finance leaders, as it can help them operate more efficiently and maximize the financial power that their organization has.

Solid Foundation

While these improved insights are exciting, companies cannot overlook the fact that high-quality data is the bedrock of AI. Organizations must ensure that their data management practices generate cleansed, harmonized, and accurate datasets. This allows them to train accurate and effective models.

Organizations should also remember that humans are an important piece of the AI puzzle. Companies investing in AI should seek to train and upskill their workers to make use of AI tools, as well as searching for new talent that is familiar with how to use AI to maximize their essential workflows.

It is important to remember that AI is not a one-time plug-and-play solution – it is a technological shift that can alter the way that businesses work for the better, if utilized correctly.

“AI and automation are not a one-time implementation and then you move on. They require constant feeding, monitoring, and optimization. AI is not a magic wand. It’s not something that will replace humans. The need for human intelligence will always be there, but humans will have to have better control over the technology. We’re going to drive it forward,” said Gupta.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

Pick the low-hanging fruit. While AI has nearly limitless applications, organizations cannot leverage them all at once right away. Companies should find solutions that can seamlessly integrate and deliver instant ROI to demonstrate the value that AI has. Many SAP organizations are deploying solutions like those from xSuite to automate important accounts payable workflows, maximizing efficiency and reducing costs.

Take time to learn. With the many advancements in AI technology that have emerged over the last few years, it is natural to feel overwhelmed. Companies should take the time to learn about what AI can and can’t do, as well as understanding its most prominent use cases.

Data powers everything. AI is only as powerful as the data that powers it. Companies that want to leverage AI solutions should ensure that their data is accurate, cleansed, and ready to be used to generate valuable insights.