SAP Sapphire 2026: Business AI, the Autonomous Enterprise and the Future of SAP CX
Anders Landig:
Thomas, great to have you here.
Today, I'd like to talk about a topic that has generated quite a lot of attention over the past few weeks: the announcements made at SAP Sapphire.
For those who may not be familiar with the event, SAP Sapphire is SAP’s flagship conference. It is where the company presents its vision for the future, showcases technological innovations and provides guidance on where the SAP portfolio is heading. At the same time, it is often the stage for significant product announcements that can directly impact customers.
Since we both attended the event and you are responsible for our SAP portfolio at SYBIT, I can't think of a better person to help us make sense of it all.
One of the major themes that seemed to dominate the conference was the concept of the Autonomous Enterprise. So let me start with a provocative question: will anyone actually be working in companies tomorrow?
Thomas Winter:
I think we'll still be coming into the office tomorrow and finding that our desks haven't been taken over by AI. And I'm fairly certain that things like conducting interviews or enjoying a cup of coffee will remain very human activities for quite some time.
What we are seeing, however—and this aligns very much with SAP's vision—is the growing integration of AI into daily work. AI is becoming part of business processes, cross-functional operations and, ultimately, almost every area of the organisation. As a result, processes are becoming increasingly autonomous.
This is exactly the vision SAP presented through the concepts of the Autonomous Enterprise and, more specifically within the customer experience space, Autonomous CX. The idea is that agentic systems will increasingly support employees and customers throughout end-to-end business processes.
Of course, SAP has announced many ambitious ideas at Sapphire events over the years, and not all of them have stood the test of time. Nevertheless, this particular vision feels different. The direction is clear and the technological possibilities are much more tangible than they were just a few years ago.
SAP's real strength lies in its enterprise data. Particularly within ERP systems, organisations hold vast amounts of valuable information. Added to that is the data generated across Sales, Service, Marketing and other customer-facing functions. Understanding customer interactions, activities and engagement creates an incredibly powerful foundation for managing and optimising businesses. That's why we're watching these developments very closely.
Anders Landig:
When you look at SAP Sapphire as a whole, what would you say were your three key takeaways?
Thomas Winter:
Interestingly, my top takeaways weren't necessarily the headline messages from the keynotes. They were the announcements that felt the most tangible and practical.
The first and most important one is undoubtedly the new SAP Business AI Platform.
SAP is essentially creating a new umbrella for its AI strategy. The platform represents the next evolution of the SAP Business Technology Platform, or BTP.
We've been working successfully with BTP for many years, building side-by-side applications and customer portals, among other things. Over the past few years, SAP has continuously added more AI capabilities to the platform. With the introduction of the Business AI Platform, these developments are now being brought together in a much more structured way.
New elements include the SAP Business Data Cloud (BDC), Data Products, access to unstructured data and Joule Studio 2.0, which is set to replace parts of the existing SAP Build portfolio.
This creates an environment where organisations can build their own AI agents, develop applications and implement pro-code solutions tailored to their specific needs. In our view, this platform will become the central foundation for enabling the Autonomous Enterprise.
Anders Landig:
So essentially, SAP is creating a platform where multiple products and services come together to serve as the future hub for data and AI?
Thomas Winter:
Exactly.
It provides the AI foundation on which organisations can build applications and then connect them to solutions such as SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Field Service & Asset Management, CPQ or ERP systems.
Anders Landig:
And what was your second takeaway?
Thomas Winter:
The second major topic was SAP Field Service Management.
The solution has been strategically repositioned and renamed SAP Field Service & Asset Management, or FSA.
Interestingly, this wasn't a major topic in the public Sapphire keynotes. It's one of those developments you only really pick up on when you're attending the event in person.
From our perspective, it's a very positive move. SAP is simplifying and consolidating its portfolio. Solutions such as Multi Resource Planning are reaching end of life, and capabilities around asset management and field service are being brought together under a single strategic product.
FSA is clearly the platform SAP intends to invest in moving forward.
For existing customers, there is no immediate action required. Licences remain unchanged and existing implementations continue to work as before.
However, SAP is investing heavily in the solution. The user experience is being redesigned using Fiori, and the mobile application is undergoing a complete overhaul. Rather than launching a separate replacement app, SAP is continuously enhancing the existing one through its release cycles.
For customers, the key takeaway is simply to stay informed, monitor upcoming releases and take advantage of the new capabilities as they become available. Early developments are already visible, particularly in areas such as capacity planning.
Anders Landig:
And your third takeaway?
Thomas Winter:
The third one comes from the Commerce space.
SAP introduced the new Commerce Cloud ERP Edition, a preconfigured commerce solution specifically designed for the mid-market.
It is particularly relevant for organisations that have already adopted SAP Public Cloud ERP and are looking to establish a digital sales channel.
The solution is designed to be straightforward and easy to implement. Businesses can quickly connect a commerce platform to their ERP landscape and launch a digital sales channel with minimal complexity.
What's especially interesting is how well it complements customer portals. Companies that already operate digital customer portals can integrate commerce processes more easily and create a more seamless customer experience.
Anders Landig:
For many people watching Sapphire, it felt as though everything was changing at once. Should SAP customers feel any pressure to act immediately?
Thomas Winter:
No, definitely not.
There's no reason for organisations to panic.
Many Sapphire announcements are intended to communicate a strategic direction rather than signal an immediate change in requirements. The right approach is to assess developments carefully and observe how they materialise through future product releases.
Even in conversations with SAP, it's clear that Sapphire is primarily the stage for presenting a vision. The detailed product work comes afterwards.
When it comes to the Autonomous Enterprise, there will still be several development cycles before these concepts become fully realised in practice.
Anders Landig:
That said, the Business AI Platform seems like something organisations should already be examining today.
Thomas Winter:
Absolutely.
We're seeing many companies experimenting with their first AI use cases and building initial agents. What is often missing, however, is meaningful business impact.
The next challenge is scaling AI across the organisation. That's where the foundations SAP is now putting in place become particularly important.
Companies should start looking at enterprise architectures, Business Data Cloud and Data Products. These capabilities provide the technical foundation for future AI initiatives.
More importantly, organisations should approach AI from a business perspective.
They should ask themselves:
- Where can AI reduce effort?
- Where can AI help generate additional revenue?
- How can AI improve customer service?
- Which use cases will create measurable business value?
That's where a successful AI strategy begins.
Anders Landig:
If organisations want to take the next step, how can SYBIT support them?
Thomas Winter:
One of our key strengths is helping customers distinguish between genuine opportunities and temporary hype.
We work very closely with SAP and continuously evaluate emerging developments. This allows us to assess which innovations are likely to generate real business value and which may not deliver the expected impact.
In the past, we've advised customers to be cautious about trends that generated a great deal of attention but offered limited business benefits. The SAP CX AI Toolkit is one example that received significant publicity but delivered little measurable value.
Similarly, we were always sceptical about the promise that complex business applications could be built entirely through low-code citizen development approaches. Many of the limitations we highlighted became apparent over time, and SAP has now significantly changed its direction in this area.
Our goal is not simply to introduce customers to new technologies. It's to help them make informed decisions and create sustainable business value.
Anders Landig:
So if I were to summarise our discussion, I would take away three key messages.
First, there is no need for panic. Companies should monitor developments carefully rather than rushing into action.
Second, now is a good time to establish the foundations for scalable AI initiatives by investing in data, architecture and clear business use cases.
And third, organisations should seek expert guidance to separate meaningful innovation from market hype.
Thomas Winter:
Exactly.
Every organisation is currently at a different stage of maturity. Some are just beginning their AI journey. Others already have agents in production and are looking for ways to embed them more deeply into business processes, customer experiences and digital services.
The real challenge now is turning isolated experiments into sustainable business value. That's exactly where we aim to support our customers.
Would you like to understand what the SAP Sapphire 2026 announcements mean for your SAP CX landscape or develop a scalable AI strategy for your organisation? Get in touch with our experts.
