The Mastering ERP Summit hits London on 12 December, bringing ERP and AI professionals together with experts in the industry to collaborate on best practices for innovating core ERP applications utilizing AI. Abigail Allman, head of GTM and partnerships at Resulting IT, and CEO and founder of the Women in ERP (WERP) podcast, is one of many industry experts hosting several talks during the summit. This article by Allman is a preview of her upcoming sessions for Mastering ERP 2024, discussing how to enable AI in your ERP framework and how the GenAI playing field has developed this past year.
I’ll dive into two interconnected realms of AI implementation at Mastering ERP, the first session focusing on the strategic “Build, Buy, or Partner” decision framework, where I’ll leverage my expertise as partnership lead at Resulting IT to guide organizations through choosing the most effective AI integration path. We’ll examine how to balance these options to align with business goals, manage resources, and overcome integration hurdles, ensuring a sustainable approach to AI amid rapid technological change.
The second session, a panel discussion on Responsible and Ethical AI, will draw on insights from my role as host of the WERP podcast. Here, we’ll explore the ethical imperatives of transparency, fairness, and accountability, and discuss strategies to mitigate human bias. AI’s potential to help us direct and orchestrate rather than simply automate will be key to its ethical implementation and strategic advantage.
AI Developments Over the Last Year
This past year has seen AI transition from experimental projects to central business functions. Large Language Models (LLMs) and Specialized Language Models (SLMs) are reshaping fields like customer service and data analytics. Through the WERP podcast, I’ve seen leaders increasingly demand scalable, customized AI solutions that strengthen decision-making and efficiency in complex ERP systems. Attending SXSW earlier this year I heard speakers refer to the world of work as entering an era of creative generalists, smaller, agile teams who will use AI to make a major impact – focusing on skills over traditional job titles.
Choosing the Right AI Strategy: Build, Buy, or Partner
The decision to build, buy, or partner for AI is shaped by an organization’s data expertise, AI maturity, and strategic goals. Companies with strong resources and data capabilities may opt to build custom solutions for a competitive edge. Off-the-shelf AI works well for those needing reliable, quick solutions, especially if they lack in-depth AI skills. Partnering is ideal for organizations wanting to stay agile while leveraging external expertise, bypassing the delays of in-house development. Many SAP customers beginning their transition to S/4HANA are ensuring their systems are AI-optimized from the start, embracing a constant regeneration approach, which is essential as we approach an era where 100 years of progress happens every five.
Customer Preferences in AI Solutions
From discussions with clients, it’s evident that large enterprises prioritize accuracy, security, and flexibility in AI solutions. LLMs are popular for general applications like customer engagement, while SLMs are favored in sectors needing detailed, context-specific functionalities, such as pricing or inventory management. Clients seek AI tools that integrate smoothly with ERP systems like SAP or IFS, tackling cross-platform challenges with ease. This approach aligns with the need for organizations to focus on projects rather than rigid roles, ensuring AI meets diverse and evolving needs.
Customers I meet consistently express a need for AI solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, especially as many begin their SAP S/4HANA migrations. Rather than isolated AI tools, customers want solutions that enhance supply chain analytics, code identification, price optimization, and change management initiatives. This approach reflects the shift toward a “jobs are dead, long live work” mentality, where AI supports meaningful business transformation rather than merely automating tasks. The focus on project-based AI implementations aligns with the concept of “multi-bot ideation,” where AI serves as a powerful ally in solving complex problems.
Insights from Global AI Discussions
My travels this year have revealed a global recognition of AI’s transformative potential, though approaches vary. Data privacy and compliance concerns coexist with a drive for scalable, impactful solutions. There’s strong interest in sustainable and ethical AI practices, underscoring the broader awareness of AI’s societal impact. However, I often encounter AI for AI’s sake – initiatives lacking strategic direction. Poor leadership and a tech-first mindset are bigger threats than AI itself. Amid excitement, there’s also anxiety around job security, as people sense a shift toward agent-driven organizations focused on skills and projects over traditional roles. This blend of anticipation and caution speaks to AI’s dual role as both a tool for efficiency and a disruptor of the status quo.
As mentioned above, I attended SXSW 2024, which highlighted AI as a transformative tool that enhances our humanity. There, Peter Deng (VP, Open AI) described AI as a “thought partner” that helps us move from simply providing answers to asking deeper, more complex questions. He sees AI as pushing knowledge forward, even stating he’d include it on his legal team if needed. With OpenAI working to make AI more globally inclusive, he suggested transparency with a proposed “certified human” label to maintain integrity.
These ideas resonate with Ian Beacraft’s (CEO, Signal and Cipher) vision of the future workforce, where agile teams focus on skills over rigid roles, where entrepreneurs can be billion dollar companies with massive impact due to the AI tools available at their finger tips. He referred to this as the “Ultimate Flex”. This future of AI is about enabling people to use tools thoughtfully, advancing work and creativity while remaining grounded in ethical practices.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn more from experts in the field like Abigail – register your interest and learn more about the Mastering ERP event here, taking place at the Park Plaza London Riverbank on December 12, 2024. The conference will be a companion event to The ERP Today Awards 2024 evening celebration, offering in the same location a learning and discussion-based summit delivering the critical information and key connections ERP Insiders need to plan and execute their AI in enterprise resource planning projects for next year and beyond.
