SAP has become the latest technology giant to announce its very own AI-powered copilot tool.
The company hopes that its new Joule platform, announced at an event attended by TechRadar Pro at SAP headquarters in Walldorf, Germany, will bring AI tools to every part of a business, making it quicker and easier to make smart, informed business decisions.
The news, which sees the German giant join the likes of Microsoft, Salesforce and Github, will also mean SAP’s estimated 300 million-strong customer base will now be able to use an AI digital assistant optimized for the company’s solutions and platforms.
SAP Joule
SAP has big plans for Joule, which it says will be embedded across its full application portfolio, covering HR, finance, supply chain, procurement and customer experience to name but a few, as well as the SAP Business Technology Platform.
Employees will be able to ask the platform a question, or pose it a problem to solve, using plain, naturalistic language, with Joule taking information and insight from across the whole SAP portfolio and third-party sources.
The company hopes Joule will get more intelligent over time, constantly learning and improving, and will be able to wholly take over some tasks.
When starting up an SAP app or service, Joule will appear as a pop-up window, similar to those seen with many retail or customer service chatbots, providing users with tailored suggestions depending on their past usage habits or existing tasks. A demo shown at the launch event demonstrated tasks such as writing job descriptions and interview questions.
“With the advent of generative AI, we find ourselves at the beginning of a new cycle (where) generative AI can provide real value,” said Julia White, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer at SAP.
“AI will be the engine powering every aspect of our technology…the opportunitieis are nearly endless,” White added, “our intent is to provide the first true system of business intelligence, enabling (customers) to create better value, more intelligently.”
Joule will begin rolling out on selected SAP tools and services in November 2023, before coming to S/4HANA Public Cloud Edition in ealy 2024, with the likes of CX, Ariba, and the SAP Business Technology Platform set to follow shortly after.
“With almost 300 million enterprise users around the world working regularly with SAP cloud solutions, Joule has the power to redefine the way businesses – and the people who power them – work,” said SAP CEO Christian Klein.
“Joule draws on SAP’s unique position at the nexus of business and technology and builds on the relevant, reliable, responsible approach to Business AI we’ve pioneered to continue helping our customers solve their most pressing problems.”
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