SAP has become the latest tech giant to announce its own AI-powered copilot tool.
The company hopes 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 faster and easier to create smart, informed make business decisions.
The news, which sees the German giant join the likes of Microsoft, Salesforce and Github, also means that SAP’s estimated 300 million customer base can now 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 entire application portfolio including HR, finance, supply chain, purchasing and customer experience, to name a few, as well as the SAP Business Technology Platform.
Employees can ask the platform a question or issue to solve, in clear, natural language, with Joule pulling information and insights from across SAP’s portfolio and third-party sources.
The company hopes that Joule will become more intelligent over time, continuously learn and improve, and be able to take over some tasks completely.
When launching an SAP app or service, Joule appears as a pop-up window, similar to what you see with many retail or customer service chatbots, providing users with tailored suggestions depending on their previous 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 are at the beginning of a new cycle (where) generative AI can deliver real value,” said Julia White, Chief Marketing and Solutions Officer at SAP.
“AI will be the engine that powers every aspect of our technology… the possibilities are virtually endless,” White added, “our intent is to provide the first true system of business intelligence, enabling (customers) to more intelligently way to create better value.”
Joule will begin rolling out select SAP tools and services in November 2023, before coming to S/4HANA Public Cloud Edition in early 2024, with CX, Ariba and the SAP Business Technology Platform following shortly after.
“With nearly 300 million business users around the world regularly working 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 leverages SAP’s unique position at the intersection of business and technology and builds on the relevant, reliable and responsible approach to Business AI that we have developed to continue helping our customers solve their most pressing problems. ”