Last week I attended SAP Connect in Las Vegas — the first unified event bringing together all of SAP’s business lines in a single event. Historically, SAP has hosted separate customer conferences for Supply Chain, HCM, Procurement, Financials, ERP, and CRM and a larger SAPPHIRE event more focused on IT mid-year. This new format marked a deliberate step toward showing the power of SAP’s entire suite working as one system and a more tangible delivery on the long-promised vision of the “Intelligent Enterprise.”

I was listening closely for the stories of actual AI adoption — particularly within the SAP SuccessFactors customer base. In January, Raven will be releasing a report that explores how SAP customers are adopting and implementing enterprise AI within their HR technology stack and what early outcomes are emerging.

Flywheels Don’t Run in Silos

A key motif throughout the event was that flywheels don’t run on solo efforts — they need shared momentum.

The flywheel turns best when all functions work together.

SAP’s take: Data + Applications + AI = the Flywheel.

The connective tissue of data across the SAP ecosystem — paired with embedded AI capabilities and an expanding agent framework — is what’s intended to keep that flywheel spinning.

Signals of AI Adoption

The scale of AI activity across SAP is growing:

– 71 million AI prompts have been executed since the introduction of the AI Foundation

– 7,000 SAP SuccessFactors customers – 1,000 already using AI features

– Organizations using AI for HR Shared Services report up to 20% productivity gains

Reported AI impacts

Still, adoption is early and uneven — but the building blocks are now visibly in place.

Customer Perspectives: Seagate & The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Two customer stories stood out for me in the AI and People Analytics discussion: Seagate Technology and The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC).

Patricia Frost, Chief People Officer, Seagate and Philip Wixon, Head of Transformation at The Hong Kong Jockey Club talk about their journey with SAP HR

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Journey

Philip Wixson, Head of HR Transformation, shared that HKJC — a 140-year-old organization with over 18,000 employees and one of the world’s top 20 charities — has implemented most of the SAP SuccessFactors modules and is now embarking on its AI journey. Their next step: deploying People Intelligence, SAP’s new analytics platform, to empower HR Business Partners and managers with deeper insights. Wixson emphasized that the goal isn’t dashboards — it’s decision enablement. By embedding analytics directly into workflows, HKJC aims to help managers make better, faster people decisions.

His biggest takeaway: the same change management rigor applied to system implementations must now extend to AI adoption. His one-word advice to HR leaders? Patience.

Seagate’s AI and Learning Vision

Patricia Frost, Chief of People and Places at Seagate, approached the conversation from a human-centric innovation lens. Seagate — a high-tech manufacturer — views people as the starting point for all innovation. Frost described their co-innovation between SAP’s Joule conversational AI and the Josh Bersin Company’s Galileo platform, integrating the two to create a unified, trusted knowledge source for employees and managers. The goal: prevent confusion from unvalidated web content and instead ensure everyone draws on the same, vetted intelligence.

Frost’s broader message was about empowerment and inclusivity in learning. Seagate is focused on providing tools and training in the modalities that work best for each employee — ensuring no one is left behind in the AI evolution. She believes the future of work requires employees to redefine their own job descriptions and workflows, not wait for a top-down redesign that risks “getting it wrong.”

Her one-word advice to HR leaders: Amplify.

Both leaders reinforced that AI transformation is as much cultural as it is technical — requiring horizontal collaboration, feedback loops, and a deep respect for the employee experience.

SAP’s AI Joule now speaks 11 languages. They are delivering 12 new agents: HR Service, Career & Talent, Payroll & People Intelligence. The Workforce Knowledge Network provides HR knowledge to users from Galileo and GP strategies (external data.)

Strategic Implications & Observations

Here are the key takeaways shaping SAP’s enterprise AI strategy:

AI + Domain Context vs. Generic AI
SAP is clearly betting on domain-aware, agentic AI (Joule + task-specific agents) rather than competing as a generic AI infrastructure provider. By embedding intelligence into business domains like finance, HR, and procurement, SAP is positioning for trust, control, and tangible outcomes.

Data as the Force Multiplier
SAP’s Business Data Cloud and open integration strategy highlight a simple truth: the value of AI depends on the quality and connectedness of data. The more unified the data model, the more powerful the agents become.

Ecosystem & Partner Enablement
SAP is cultivating an AI ecosystem, not just a product suite — through partnerships with WalkMe, LeanIX, SAP Signavio, and even external HR content providers. The introduction of an Agent Hub reinforces a commitment to interoperability.

Governance & Trust by Design
A major theme was “governed AI” — emphasizing traceability, auditability, and responsible use. SAP seems intent on embedding compliance into the AI lifecycle itself.

Differentiation Through Integration
SAP’s competitive edge is clear: AI is not an add-on. It’s being embedded directly into the core processes that run businesses — a move that separates it from standalone AI vendors or lightweight plug-ins.

Customer Transition & Change Management
True adoption will depend on how well customers can upgrade, modernize, and trust these AI capabilities. Tools like Model Company bundles and Customer Adoption Kits are practical ways SAP is trying to de-risk that journey.

What Comes Next

The energy at SAP Connect signaled that the “Intelligent Enterprise” is no longer just a slogan — it’s becoming operational. Yet, the next chapter depends on customer adoption and the partner ecosystem’s readiness to deliver on the promise.

At Raven Intelligence, we’ll be reporting on how SAP customers are actually using these new AI capabilities — what’s working, what’s not, and what measurable value is being realized.

If your organization is experimenting with AI in SAP SuccessFactors or across the SAP suite, I’d love to hear your story.

Other Resources:

“Raven Intelligence Guide to Top SAP SuccessFactors Partners”, 2025: LINK HERE

“Keynote Watch Party” with Jon Reed and Josh Greenbaum (and me): https://lnkd.in/emc76

“Integration is the New Innovation” (Kathi Enderes, Bersin): LINK HERE

“SAP pitches role-based Joule assistants as ERP work partners”: LINK HERE

“Can we (finally) break the silos that block end-to-end thinking? Heartland Dental says yes”: LINK HERE

“SAP Connect 2025 – inside an early Ask my Payslip rollout: how PostNL balances fast AI adoption with risk management”: LINK HERE