3 out of 5 UK & Ireland SAP users say SAP will play an important role in deploying AI at their organisation
London – 1 December 2025 – Three out of five (61%) SAP users say SAP will play an important role when it comes to deploying AI at their organisation, according the latest research from the UK & Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG). The survey of 392 SAP user organisations reveals that the vast majority of respondents (90%) are looking to deploy AI. In fact, 75% of respondents see enterprise AI benefitting their organisation, with a quarter (25%) stating it will have a “significant” benefit. More generally, almost three-quarters (74%) of SAP users also think the benefits of AI are overhyped.
With SAP’s 2027 maintenance deadline for SAP ECC 6.0 fast approaching, many organisations are now embarking on their migration journey to SAP S/4HANA. More than half (54%) of respondents say gaining access to SAP’s AI offerings will influence their future deployment of SAP.
“Organisations understandably need to cut through the hype surrounding AI. Gaining visibility into real-world, rather than hypothetical, use cases will be key to driving adoption. At the same time, it’s clear that access to SAP’s AI capabilities is starting to influence future technology decisions.” said Conor Riordan, Chair, UKISUG. “While many core ERP foundations will remain in place, AI will enhance them to deliver greater automation, adaptability and insight. As a user community, we’ll continue working closely with SAP to equip members with the guidance they need to make enterprise AI a success.”
Familiarity with SAP Joule – the company’s natural language generative AI co-pilot – continues to be mixed. A third (32%) of respondents say they are familiar with SAP Joule, while 42% of respondents say they have heard of SAP Joule but are not familiar with it.
“As agentic AI begins to emerge on SAP’s cloud platform, many customers are building their upgrade business cases to harness its innovation potential, while carefully weighing this against the risks of added disruption, cost, and complexity. One key concern is licensing creep. As AI agents start to interact with enterprise systems, it remains unclear whether vendors will classify these agents as additional users or charge for indirect access. Both of which could result in unexpected licensing costs,” added Riordan.
Leila Romane, Managing Director, SAP UK & Ireland, said, “We know transformation can be complex and every journey to the cloud is different, which is why SAP is committed to being a trusted partner at every stage. Our goal is to equip every organisation with the tools, insight and transparency they need to make informed decisions at a pace that’s right for them, and realise tangible value from their investments.
“By building Business AI directly into the applications customers already use and trust, we help them get more from their existing landscape and deliver impact today. When businesses take a broader, strategic approach to AI, they unlock faster innovation and stronger growth.”
UKISUG is hosting its annual Connect conference from 30 November - 2 December 2025 at the ICC Birmingham.