There is no doubt that generative AI for business will transform every aspect of how business is done. But the reality is that generative AI is only as good as the data that it’s trained on.
While data may be the fuel powering the engine of AI, it’s good data that’s the real game changer. With good data, a company can automate processes — freeing up their people to do the most impactful work — and analyze the most important variables facing their business to create intelligent insights.
That’s where a datasphere comes in. It makes data more complete and logical by understanding the different relationships within a company’s data. And that’s what can truly bring out the best in any business today.
Having a central hub for data is more critical than ever. It allows our customers to better model their business across all SAP business applications. That’s exactly why we introduced SAP Datasphere last year to empower businesses with insights they need – based on the right data – in the context of their business. Since then, generative AI has disrupted and simplified even more business processes, and data capture is no different. This week we announced new generative-AI features in SAP Datasphere that will transform enterprise planning through simplified data landscapes and more-intuitive data interaction.
Why is this important? Because having a unified data view that simplifies the data landscapes while retaining context and logic is what enables businesses to adapt faster to market changes and make better decisions. It’s also a more efficient way of working. Because while you’re busy pulling data together, competitors are circling your customers.
I am constantly speaking with our customers about the value of SAP Datasphere. It’s a data architecture that harmonizes mission-critical data across an organization. I hear amazing outcomes they’re able to achieve: from PwC breaking down silos in the different countries where it stores sensitive data so its workforce can access it more efficiently and securely for customers, to the Lufthansa Group taking data from different parts of its operations like aircraft, HR, and procurement, to see how decisions from one could impact the other.
With our additional news this week, such as making our generative AI copilot Joule available in SAP Analytics Cloud and expanding our partnership with Collibra to help our customers meet compliance, privacy, and regulatory requirements related to AI as they evolve, we’re making it easier to find the right data and use it to drive deeper insights, more efficiencies, faster growth, and more trust in their business.
While PwC and Lufthansa show what’s possible today with a simplified data fabric, imagine what is about to become possible when you infuse it with the power of generative AI that understands your business – and then learns from that data. This has the potential to deliver exponential value from your data.
Or think of it this way: years ago, the biggest differentiators for businesses were price, location, products, and services. Today, and especially in the years ahead, it could very well be how effectively a business is training their AI models. That’s why building the right data fabric is one of the most important investments any business can make today.
It’s been said that the best way to predict the future is to invent it. And in an era where data is being created exponentially, I believe that those businesses that can separate the signal from the noise when it comes to their data will be the ones that invent the future in an AI-first world.
Scott Russell is a member of the Executive Board of SAP SE.