After SAP has been following the course “Applying a Human-Centered Approach to Identify and Define Business AI Use Cases“, a new learning journey on the subject of artificial intelligence (AI) is now available: “Discovering High-Value Opportunities for Agentic AI“.
After completing the course, learners are able to hold a workshop around Joule, SAP’s AI assistant. You can adapt the workshop format to the needs of different target groups and help participants identify suitable use cases for AI agents.
But what exactly are SAP solutions for Agentic AI? And what advantages does agent-based AI offer?
Joule agents are AI systems that can independently plan and execute multi-step workflows to connect departments, accelerate decision-making and optimize processes.
Exploit the value creation potential of Agentic AI
As part of an SAP Expert Lecture, the concept of the so-called “Joule Agent Discovery Workshops” is presented in this course. In these structured and interactive workshops, participants will learn how to identify use cases for agent-based AI that offer high value creation potential. Course graduates learn how to motivate and support workshop participants in prioritizing ideas and describing the respective options in detail. The course also explains how the workshop can be adapted in terms of duration and team size as well as for virtual formats. After the training, the prospective workshop leaders can also support participants in identifying the areas in which AI agents can achieve the best results and help them lay the foundation for working with AI agents.
At the end of the training, course participants will be able to:
- Understand the purpose and structure of the Joule Agent Discovery Workshops and how to identify useful use cases for AI agents;
- Conduct exercises during the workshop and support participants in developing, prioritizing and detailing ideas for use cases with AI agents;
- Adapt the workshop format to different team sizes, virtual formats and timelines to meet organizational requirements.
There is no prerequisite training for this course. However, experience in the area of SAP Design Thinking and with moderating workshops is helpful. The course is an ideal learning opportunity for a variety of roles, such as support consultants, application users and SAP beginners.
The creative minds behind the SAP AppHaus methodology and this learning journey
Karen Detken, Expert User Experience Designer at SAP AppHaus, has been working with customers on co-innovation projects for many years. By developing and implementing numerous workshop formats using various methods and tools, she was able to gain first-hand experience and feedback. Early on, the SAP AppHaus team decided to use these best practices as well as relevant resources and templates Innovation Toolkit also make it accessible to others.
With the increasing focus on artificial intelligence, generative AI and large language models (LLMs) also found their way into SAP solutions, first with SAP Business AI and later in the form of the next evolutionary stage, namely agent-based AI, which also includes Joule Agents. The SAP AppHaus team worked with customers to analyze suitable use cases to benefit from this new technology. As an enabler of collaborative innovation, the team took these early experiences and began sharing helpful methodologies so that other teams, as well as partners and customers, can work on projects using the latest technology.
For Detken, it’s not just about introducing and applying these technologies: “New technologies are developing rapidly and becoming widely accessible,” she explains. “It is important to have a very clear picture of Why we want to use these technologies. Because technology only has added value if the right application is found. Customers and users need to be clear about the results they want to achieve with this technology. This is the first question that must be clarified before application. With our methodologies, we want to first and foremost help people understand how this technology can help them, their business and society.”
Part of this thinking and conscious use of technology also includes taking into account ethical guidelines for the responsible use of AI, which apply to every new solution. The SAP principles for this are in SAP AI Ethics Guide explained.
Making innovations and technology accessible to others
The SAP AppHaus team receives feedback from many different customer and partner teams. For the team, which consists of experienced co-innovation coaches, it is a fulfilling experience when the participants in the workshops and training events better understand the new technology. With their comprehensive expertise and taking into account one user-oriented approach help participants develop ideas that meet their business needs. “We help them develop different ways to overcome real-world problems using AI,” says Detken.
The new Agentic AI learning offering includes helpful exercises to help customers and partners learn more about this area of technology and test useful business use cases. Anyone who takes a closer look at this learning journey will see that the SAP AppHaus team is extremely open to new concepts, as the participants are guided through the course by an avatar. This avatar was created using video footage from Detken.
When asked how she sees agentic AI compared to generative AI, Detken answers: “In generative AI, an LLM acts as a type of intelligent system or ‘brain’. The same LLMs are also used in an AI agent. The difference is that the agent can not only ‘think’ and use these large language models to generate content, analyze data or make decisions – the agent can also use ‘tools’ or other applications to take actions based on those decisions or make changes independently. This can be illustrated with the following picture: Generative AI was basically just the brain; now we have moved forward and have both a brain and hands. Maybe that would be robots in the future.
What are AI agents?
AI agents are applications based artificial intelligencewho make decisions and perform tasks independently and with minimal human supervision. Advanced models allow agents to determine a course of action and use a variety of software tools to execute. Agents can reason, plan, and take actions to handle a variety of situations. Automating these activities with preconfigured rules and logic would otherwise be impractical or downright impossible.
Images with permission from SAP employee Viktor Georg.
Imke Vierjahn is Communications Lead for SAP AppHaus.
