UKISUG survey reveals strong support for SAP Business AI, but licensing complexity remains a concern
London – 28 October 2026 – New research from the UK & Ireland SAP User Group (UKISUG) reveals strong enthusiasm for SAP's Business AI strategy, despite concerns over the complexity of licensing it. Almost 9 in 10 SAP users (87%) see the company’s Business AI offering enhancing their organisations’ use of SAP. The same proportion (87%) of respondents also stated that they thought SAP’s licensing has become more complex since the introduction of SAP BTP and its latest AI offerings.
Despite this optimism, adoption remains at an early stage. The survey of 460 UKISUG members found that only 3% of respondents are currently using SAP Business AI, although two thirds (67%) plan to do so in the future. Overall familiarity with SAP's AI portfolio also remains mixed, with fewer than half (43%) of respondents saying they are familiar with the products and services that make up SAP Business AI.
"Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in interest in SAP's AI capabilities. The focus is now on moving from experimentation to scaled adoption, where value can be clearly demonstrated and commercial models are easy to understand," said Conor Riordan, Chair of UKISUG. "Customers need greater transparency around AI pricing, licensing, credits and consumption so they can make informed investment decisions. As organisations increasingly evaluate the business case for AI, simplicity and predictability in licensing will be critical to accelerating adoption and maximising value from SAP's innovations."
The research also found that access to SAP's AI capabilities is becoming an important factor, with 54% of respondents saying it will influence their deployment of SAP in the future.
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56% say that SAP will play an important role when it comes to deploying Generative AI across their organisation.
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53% say that SAP will play an important role when it comes to deploying Agentic AI across their organisation.
"The winners of the AI era will not simply be the organisations that adopt the technology first, but those that understand how to apply it effectively," added Riordan. "SAP sits at the heart of many organisations' critical business processes and data, which means its AI strategy will have a significant impact on how customers adopt and scale AI in the years ahead. As the landscape continues to evolve, it is essential that customers have access to clear, independent guidance to help them understand both the opportunities and the practical implications for their organisations. Our research shows a clear demand for guidance, education and practical insights. Through UKISUG Connect and our ongoing engagement with SAP, we are committed to helping organisations make informed decisions and realise value from AI with confidence."
UKISUG is hosting its annual Connect conference from 29 November – 1 December 2026 at the ICC Birmingham, bringing together SAP customers, partners and experts to discuss the latest developments in enterprise technology, AI and digital transformation.
Take a look at the Licensing stream at Connect, with Katie Gardner and Urszula Adamczuk-Madden from SAP, who will discuss SAP Cloud usage metering, how it drives transparency, enables cost control, and helps optimise your SAP Cloud investment. Also from SAP, we have Katie Gardner and Sam Renshaw to have a practical overview of SAP AI licensing. Emile Steyn from Soterion will demonstrate how applying a structured Licensing by Design approach to SAP role optimisation.
About UK & Ireland SAP User Group
The UK & Ireland SAP User Group’s membership is open to users of all SAP products in the UK and Ireland. Membership consists of organisations from all sectors and of all sizes and includes some of the largest private companies and most significant public sector organisations in the UK and Ireland.
If you would like further information regarding the UK & Ireland SAP User Group, please click here.
