SAP AI Agents: 20 Joule use cases, features & case studies
SAP predicts that AI agents could support up to 80% of the most-used business tasks in SAP. 1 These agents go beyond automating tasks by solving problems and offering innovative solutions, acting like an extra “brain” for enterprise operations.
Explore what are the SAP AI agents capabilities and use cases:
What are SAP AI agents?
SAP AI Agents, powered by the Joule AI copilot framework, are transforming how enterprises operate. Instead of isolated automation, these agents act as domain experts across finance, HR, supply chain, and IT.
Built on SAP’s Business Technology Platform (BTP) and enhanced by Joule Studio, they autonomously manage multi-step business workflows and make data-driven decisions using context from SAP’s Knowledge Graph. This fusion of structured data, analytics, and conversational AI turns everyday tasks into intelligent, collaborative processes.
What is the name of the AI agent in SAP?
SAP AI agent refers to SAP AI Copilot, SAP Joule that is designed with autonomous AI agent capabilities that can streamline operations and deliver business insights. In Q4 2024, SAP released Joule Studio in SAP Build, providing a low-code/no-code environment for businesses to create, deploy, monitor, and manage custom Joule skills.
By Q1 2025, SAP expanded Joule’s development capabilities for developers and its NLP inquiry scope to leverage real-time data from SAP analytics solutions, enhancing its ability to provide up-to-date insights.
Joule Studio (now in beta) is slated for general availability by the end of 2025, enabling enterprises to design custom Joule agents and skills using SAP’s built-in business knowledge and AI services
In Q4 2025, SAP introduced role-based AI assistants within Joule to further streamline how users interact with these agents. Each assistant is tailored to a specific user role and automatically taps into the right Joule Agents for the job. For example, a finance manager forecasting cash flow or an HR professional addressing headcount can get the right insights and actions without guessing which agent to invoke with role-based assistants.
SAP also announced a “Deep Research” capability in Joule, which allows users to ask more complex, multi-domain questions. Joule will synthesize internal SAP data and external intelligence to deliver strategic analysis, recommendations, and context-aware insights within one conversational interface. This capability will be available in December 2025.
Integration across SAP ecosystem
With SAP integration suite, these agents connect across different systems, ensuring efficient workflow automation. Some of the SAP products that Joule, SAP AI agents, is embedded into:
- SAP HANA Cloud, SAP LeanIX, SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Signavio, S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition by the end of 2024.
- SAP Service Cloud and SAP Concur by early 2025.
As of late 2025, SAP reports having more than 400 AI-driven use cases embedded across its applications. For example, a new Receipt Analysis Agent in Concur Expense can automatically fill in missing expense details from receipt images.
Joule also operates across third-party applications, providing contextual assistance directly within users’ workflows. Its cross-application presence enables consistent, AI-driven support and improves overall employee productivity.
AI Agent Hub within SAP LeanIX
SAP is rolling out an AI Agent Hub within SAP LeanIX, allowing organizations to monitor, govern, and manage their portfolio of AI agents from a central dashboard. The hub will serve as a system of record for all agents, like SAP’s, custom-built ones, or even third-party implementations, and help ensure transparency across deployments.
The hub will also support recommendations of agent deployment (via its connection to process mining and architecture tools) and provide executive-level visibility into agent ROI and usage patterns.
Multi-agent collaboration
Without AI agents, Joule Studio could handle isolated tasks, such as retrieving data, extracting insights, and answering employee queries. With the introduction of collaborative AI agents specialized in distinct business functions, Joule can execute end-to-end processes, integrating actions across SAP systems and departments.
By linking actions across departments, Joule enables connected, cross-enterprise outcomes. This coordination allows business processes in finance, procurement, and supply chain to deliver measurable results together rather than in isolation.
For instance, resolving a payment dispute might involve multi-agent teamwork, such as collections, invoicing, and customer support agents working together.
Agent-to-Agent (A2A) interoperability protocol
To enable more dynamic and cross-agent collaboration, SAP is working on an Agent-to-Agent (A2A) interoperability protocol (sometimes referenced in conjunction with MCP, the Model Context Protocol). This will allow SAP’s Joule agents to communicate not only with each other but also with third-party agents within standardized workflows.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Integration
Joule integrates with Microsoft 365 Copilot, allowing users to access shared skills and data across both ecosystems. This interoperability supports seamless collaboration between enterprise AI platforms.
For example, a procurement agent might consult a logistics agent directly, or a finance agent might reach out to a forecasting agent, depending on the context. This design moves agent ecosystems toward a more connected, composable architecture.
Specialized agents in the business ecosystem
Instead of a single generalist agent, multi-agent networks divide tasks into specialized roles. Each AI agent specializes in a specific business function, enabling expertise-driven automation and collaboration across domains such as finance, supply chain, and service management.
SAP has been rapidly expanding its library of specialized Joule agents. At SAP Connect 2025, the company unveiled 14 new Joule Agents spanning finance, HR, procurement, supply chain, and industry-specific scenarios. Each agent is essentially a subject-matter expert. For example:
- In finance, a Cash Management Agent can reason over daily bank statements and automate reconciliations, potentially saving up to 70% of the time finance teams spend on manual cash positioning tasks.
- In procurement, a Bid Analysis Agent automatically compares complex supplier bids (factoring in unit prices, shipping costs, payment terms, etc.) and highlights the best options, eliminating manual spreadsheet analysis.
- In the supply chain domain, a Production Planning and Operations Agent checks material and capacity availability. In Q1 2026, this agent is expected to autonomously validate and release production orders when required conditions are met, accelerating order-to-delivery cycles.
By dividing work among such specialists, SAP’s multi-agent ecosystem can handle intricate end-to-end processes with expert precision in each area.
Human in the loop
AI agents are designed to work autonomously but operate within a framework where humans remain in control. SAP AI Copilot acts as a “conductor,” orchestrating the collaboration between SAP AI agents, while humans provide guidance as “composers” by defining tasks and objectives.
Despite human intervention is essential at this point, SAP envisions an era of autonomous enterprises where:
- Businesses operate with minimal human intervention.
- Streamline supply chains, automate transactions, and proactive error handling.
- Reduce repetitive tasks, creating time for higher-value activities.
This shift aims to redefine the role of AI, from task augmentation to business transformation.
SAP knowledge graph
The SAP Knowledge Graph serves as the foundation for Joule’s advanced capabilities. With this capability, Joule provides insights at scale through natural language queries. Employees can access analytics and contextual data instantly, enabling faster, evidence-based decisions across functions.
- Contextualized data: Organizes and connects data from SAP applications to provide meaningful insights.
- Mapped business relationships: Links relationships between business entities (e.g., invoices, orders, and customers) to enhance decision-making and streamline processes.
- Proactive problem-solving: Identifies emerging issues early, enabling timely interventions before they escalate.
- Enabled innovation: Detects trends, uncovers patterns, and suggests innovative operational strategies that may not have been previously explored.
By leveraging interconnected data, the Knowledge Graph empowers Joule SAP AI agents to generate personalized, accurate, and contextually relevant solutions.
Top SAP AI Agent use cases with Joule
SAP AI agents can function both in interactive applications and in the background, handling routine tasks or responding to real-time events. Below are hypothetical use cases demonstrating the potential of Joule and its collaborative AI agents:
Check out SAP conversational AI for more use cases and real-life applications.
1. Dispute management
SAP AI agents can handle incorrect/missing invoices, unapplied credits, duplicate/denied payments, and dispute resolution. For example, Joule can detect a payment dispute, such as a duplicate payment or an invoice mismatch, through automated monitoring of financial data. Then, the agent can automatically:
- Manage the exchange of emails and communications between relevant departments or external stakeholders, ensuring all necessary information is gathered.
- Identify and correct errors in invoices, such as missing details or incorrect amounts.
- Analyzes denied payments to determine the root cause, whether due to insufficient funds, incorrect account details, or mismatched references.
- Provide actionable solutions, such as applying credits, issuing corrections, or escalating unresolved issues to human reviewers.
2. SAP finance automation
- Administrative automation: Streamline billing processes, prepare ledger reports, and handle compliance documentation with minimal manual intervention.
- Specialized financial recommendations: Offer strategic advice on budget allocation, portfolio management, and credit or insurance approvals.
- Fraud detection: Monitor transactions in real time, flagging potential fraudulent activities and protecting enterprise assets.
- Cash management agent: Reasons over daily bank statements to automate reconciliation tasks, detect surpluses/shortages, and suggest optimizations (planned GA in Q1 2026).
- International trade classification agent: can analyze product data and trade regulations to recommend tariff codes and compliance classifications (beta in December 2025, GA beyond).
3. SAP HR AI agents
- Talent acquisition: Automate job postings, generate candidate shortlists, and manage onboarding processes to streamline hiring.
- Employee retention: Monitor employee performance, engagement, and feedback, delivering actionable insights to improve retention and foster team building.
- HR process optimization: Handle administrative tasks, from updating employee records to managing payroll discrepancies, freeing HR professionals to focus on strategic initiatives.
4. Joule studio for IT
- Coding assistance: Provide developers with tools to generate code and app logic using natural language, ensuring alignment with SAP programming models.
- A recent evaluation study compared SAP Joule’s generative capabilities in JavaScript code generation against 29 other models using the HumanEval-X benchmark. Joule achieved a strict accuracy of 80.49%, ranking as the fifth-best model in that test set.6
- Cloud transformation Support: Offer on-demand guidance for best practices, streamlining cloud migration processes while maintaining consistency with organizational standards.
- Project acceleration: Reduce manual coding efforts, enabling faster project delivery and minimizing timelines.
- Cost efficiency: Lower development costs by automating repetitive tasks and improving accuracy.
- Seamless integration: Ensure smooth integration of SAP solutions into IT ecosystems for enhanced operational efficiency.
5. SAP Joule for marketing and customer support
- Personalized campaigns: Analyze customer data to create tailored marketing strategies, personalized calls-to-action (CTAs), and engagement plans.
- Market trend forecasting: Provide insights and recommendations for identifying growth opportunities and predicting market changes.
- Enhanced customer relationship management (CRM): Leverage large language models (LLMs) to manage customer interactions, resolve disputes, handle transactions, and analyze feedback for improved customer satisfaction.
- Content generation: Use generative AI to produce branded text and imagery, aligning with the company’s voice and values.
6. SAP supply chain AI
Additional AI agent-driven workflows will be introduced to the supply chain portfolio by March 2025, further demonstrating the versatility of these agents.
- Inventory management: Automate inventory tracking and trigger restocking orders to maintain optimal supply levels.
- Delivery optimization: Customize delivery routes to reduce transportation costs and environmental impact while ensuring timely shipments.
- Quality assurance: Simplify inspection processes, detect manufacturing errors, and ensure the integrity of goods during transportation and storage. Discover what is quality assurance (QA) and data QA.
- Predictive maintenance: Monitor equipment performance and predict repairs or replacements before breakdowns occur, reducing downtime and costs. Explore more on predictive maintenance
Real-life examples of SAP AI agents
Here are some SAP Joule case studies gathered from SAP blogs9 , websites and third-party sources10
Other AI agent providers to SAP
Many large enterprises operate on heavily customized SAP environments, with on-premise deployments, tailored modules, and numerous add-ons. These complex setups often limit the effectiveness of SAP’s native AI agents, creating demand for third-party AI solutions that can bridge the gap.
Several independent providers now develop and deliver AI agents designed to integrate seamlessly with customized SAP systems, improving automation, transparency, and decision-making across functions:
- Hypatos delivers domain-specific AI agents that can integrate to SAP to automate document processing, handle complex data flows, and reduce manual errors.
- SpendConsole provides a chatbot solution that integrates with SAP systems to digitize and streamline invoice processing to enhance productivity, compliance, and fraud protection.
- Conduct is a new AI startup founded by former Palantir engineers that focuses on making legacy enterprise systems like SAP understandable and operable through AI. It builds an intelligent layer on top of customized SAP environments, helping organizations visualize, interpret, and optimize their systems more effectively.
There are also other tech giants that employ AI agents, like Oracle AI agents.
FAQs
Is there any AI tool for SAP?
Yes, SAP offers multiple AI tools integrated into its ecosystem, such as:
- The Generative AI Hub in SAP AI Core and SAP AI Launchpad that provides scalable management of AI artifacts, enabling custom AI solutions and application extensions.
- Joule that is a generative AI copilot, delivers code generation, data insights, and process automation with natural language interaction.
- SAP AI Services that can enhance business processes with prediction models, document automation, and recommendation systems.
- The SAP Foundation Model which focuses on structured data analysis
- Vector Engine and Knowledge Graph in SAP HANA Cloud that can help empower intelligent data applications and contextual AI insights for business operations.
Discover more on SAP Business AI applications, like SAP BTP Generative AI. SAP BTP automation can integrate these LLMs into other SAP-certified tools and apps (e.g Redwood and SAP), such as:
- SAP job schedulers
- SAP process orchestration tools
- SAP utility solutions
- SAP meter-to-cash process technologies.
- 6 SAP Datasphere AI
What are agents in SAP?
SAP AI agents are intelligent, autonomous tools designed to perform tasks and make decisions independently, enhancing business processes through automation and adaptability. These agents leverage AI capabilities like natural language processing, machine learning, and multi-agent systems to execute workflows, analyze data, and improve over time.
SAP’s generative AI ecosystem, including tools like Joule, allows users to develop custom AI agents for specific roles. These agents can communicate naturally, design workflows, use software tools, and collaborate with humans or other agents. Their applications in SAP include procurement optimization, process automation, and integration with internal systems for tailored solutions.
What are the 5 types of agent in AI?
There are not only 5 but six common types of AI agents which are reactive, proactive, hybrid, utility-based, learning, and collaborative.
AI agents come in various forms, allowing organizations to combine them into customized multi-agent systems tailored to their needs. Below are six types of AI agents and their ideal applications:
- Reactive agents: These rule-based agents autonomously respond to prompts using preset rules, making them ideal for repetitive tasks like resetting passwords via chatbots. While limited by their lack of memory, they are low-maintenance and efficient.
- Proactive agents: Using predictive algorithms, these agents analyze patterns, forecast outcomes, and take action without prompts. They excel in monitoring complex systems like supply chains, identifying issues, and recommending solutions.
- Hybrid agents: Combining reactive and proactive capabilities, hybrid agents offer flexibility, reacting quickly to predictable tasks while adapting to dynamic conditions.
- Utility-based agents: These agents prioritize actions based on user satisfaction metrics, excelling in navigation, robotics, and financial trading.
- Learning agents: These agents refine performance by learning from experiences and user feedback, powering adaptive virtual assistants.
- Collaborative agents: Operating across systems and departments, they coordinate workflows, delegate tasks, and manage complex operations.
Further reading
Explore more on SAP related technologies, such as:
- Discover 7 SAP BTP Generative AI Tools, 4 Use Cases & Benefits
- Discover Latest 6 SAP Datasphere AI Integrations & 2 Features
- Compare 10 SAP Utility Solutions
Reference Links
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