Perhaps your favorite colleague is currently the one sitting next to you. Or that witty jokester across from you. But that is about to change. Your new best buddy at the office will be Joule. This promise was made by Jesper Schleimann, Strategy & Innovation Officer at SAP, during the SAP Discovery Day for Analytics & Innovation 2023 on October 31 at DeFabrique in Utrecht.
You don’t need to set up a desk or chair for Joule. And there’s no need to fetch coffee or tea either. It’s your new digital assistant. Together, you’ll soar through daily tasks. Swiftly and always in the right direction. Joule is a co-pilot that truly understands your organization.
The next step in AI
To explain how crucial Joule will be, Schleimann went back to the basics: the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). The capabilities of AI are already astonishing. He opened his inspiring story at DeFabrique in Utrecht with a video of himself. A digital speech created by AI. His mouth moved on the screen in line with the words he spoke. But this wasn’t a recorded video; it was an AI creation based on an image and a prompted input.
The video was an example of one of the possibilities that generative AI already offers. Generative AI not only predicts but also generates. It creates new things. “Generative AI puts us on a new path of productivity,” said Schleimann. “At least, if we use it correctly. Then our productivity takes off.”
Unprecedented pace
AI is evolving at an unprecedented pace. But what makes this revolution even more unique is its rapid adoption. Schleimann: “In previous technological revolutions, it took twenty to sometimes thirty years before they became commonplace. Think of the computer. The first computer was already there in the 1950s, but it wasn’t widely embraced until the 1980s. The same goes for the internet. Its foundation was laid in 1969. But it took about 25 years for adoption by businesses and individuals. Every development took its time. But not AI.”
Schleimann mentioned ChatGPT as an example. The language model from the American AI developer OpenAI reached the milestone of a hundred million active users per month within three months of its launch. ChatGPT is an example of generative AI: based on a prompt, it creates your desired text. For this, ChatGPT utilizes a self-learning network of data.
Joule assists your organization
Turning data into value. In the answers you seek. That is also the foundation of Joule. Do you want an overview of the sales figures from last month, compared to the same figures for the past twelve months? Do you want to know how efficient your logistics processes are? Or do you need insight into your staff and any deficiencies? Ask Joule, and you’ll have a clear answer in no time. Including visualizations.
Based on data and the foundation of your organization’s SAP Business Technology Platform, Joule provides you with the answer you need. You might have found that answer yourself if you had manually sifted through, merged, and formatted all the data. But why waste hours on manual work when your new favorite colleague can serve it all to you on a silver platter in an instant?
Schleimann: “Think of Joule as the concierge in a hotel. You can turn to it for all your questions. Often, the concierge can give you the correct answer directly. And if not, it will direct you to the right person.”
Does AI take over your job?
AI is changing the way we work. Processes become smarter, faster, and better. As an organization, you must adapt to this. As an employee too. Computers and robots will not completely take over human work, emphasized Schleimann. “It’s about how we reorganize our work. What tasks do we delegate to AI, and where do we focus ourselves? You don’t have to fear losing your job to AI. But you might lose your job to a person who is better at using AI.”
So, skip that cup of coffee with your favorite colleague for just one day. Invest that time in getting to know Joule. You won’t regret it.
Ready to explore the limitless possibilities of Joule?
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