SAP said at its inaugural SAP Connect conference last week that it remains committed to leveraging artificial intelligence—particularly agents and autonomous systems—to move the future of work forward for its customers. The company has for some time now focused on expanding the agents underneath its AI assistant, Joule, with the promise that the assistant would be able to access data autonomously, then handle specific tasks to aid the user across many of SAP’s own applications. More from Sourcing Journal ...

Core Insights - SAP SE has launched new AI, data, and application innovations aimed at accelerating business transformation during its first SAP Connect event [1] - The company introduced role-based AI assistants in Joule to enhance performance across various business functions [1][2] - SAP Business Data Cloud Connect was announced as a new data connectivity platform to eliminate data silos and enhance AI value [3] AI Innovations - The AI assistants connect with specialized agents to streamline task management, allowing users to focus on insights and productivity [2] - SAP showcased AI-driven applications such as Supply Chain Orchestration, which uses a live knowledge graph to identify supplier risks in real time [5] - The SAP Engagement Cloud was introduced to personalize interactions using contextual insights, along with a next-generation SAP Ariba procurement suite that embeds intelligence throughout the sourcing and spend management lifecycle [5] Strategic Partnerships - Muhammad Alam emphasized the need for integrated applications to navigate business volatility [4] - Databricks and Google Cloud were named as the first partners for Business Data Cloud Connect, enhancing SAP's open data ecosystem [4] - These partnerships are expected to facilitate quicker access to business-ready data products for analytics and AI applications [4] Market Reaction - Following the announcements, SAP shares increased by 1.39%, closing at $274.28 [6]