The High-Scoring AI: Unveiled as Artificial Intelligence by Consultants

Unlocking the Potential of AI in Consulting: A Case Study by SAP

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When SAP conducted an internal experiment to assess consultant perceptions of AI, the findings were eye-opening. Five teams were tasked with validating over 1,000 business requirements generated by SAP’s AI co-pilot, Joule for Consultants – a workload that would typically take weeks to complete.

Four teams were informed that the analysis was conducted by junior interns, and they praised the work as highly accurate, with a rating of around 95%.

However, the fifth team was told that the same answers were sourced from AI, leading them to reject nearly all responses. Only upon individually validating each answer did they realize that the AI was remarkably accurate, with an overall precision of approximately 95%.

Guillermo B. Vazquez Mendez, Chief Architect of RI Business Transformation and Architecture at SAP America Inc., reflected on the lesson learned: “We must exercise caution when introducing AI, particularly in how we communicate its capabilities to senior consultants and integrate it into their workflows.”

This experiment has become a pivotal starting point for SAP’s vision of the consultant of 2030: an individual who embodies human expertise, leverages AI, and is liberated from the technical minutiae of the past.

Addressing AI Skepticism in Consulting

Vazquez acknowledges the resistance encountered, especially among consultants with extensive experience who possess deep institutional knowledge and a natural sense of skepticism.

He emphasizes that AI co-pilots like Joule for Consultants are designed to enhance expertise, not replace it. These tools serve to amplify consultants’ capabilities, making their valuable time more efficient by eliminating mundane tasks and allowing them to focus on delivering high-quality solutions in less time.

The Evolution of Consultant Roles with AI Integration

Previously, consultants spent a significant portion of their time understanding technical systems, while clients dedicated their efforts to business objectives. AI tools like Joule bridge this gap by streamlining technical processes, enabling consultants to concentrate on understanding clients’ industries and goals.

Vazquez explains, “AI shifts the balance, empowering consultants to invest more energy in grasping the customer’s business landscape and driving impactful outcomes, while AI handles the technical heavy lifting.”

Empowering New Consultants through AI

AI is revolutionizing the learning process for new consultants by acting as a conduit between seasoned professionals and entry-level hires. Junior consultants benefit from accelerated onboarding, as AI tools like Joule foster independent operation. This dynamic allows senior consultants to focus on strategic insights.

By mastering prompt engineering and leveraging AI for structured responses, consultants enhance the quality of their deliverables and communication with peers. The synergy between experienced and new consultants facilitates knowledge transfer and accelerates technological adoption.

Future Outlook: Advancements in AI Co-Pilots

Vazquez envisions a future where AI co-pilots evolve beyond prompt-based interactions to comprehensively interpret business processes, identify intervention points, and facilitate autonomous decision-making. SAP’s extensive process knowledge and global commerce footprint position the company to lead this evolution towards agentic AI, enhancing consultants’ problem-solving capabilities and advancing autonomous systems.

Disclaimer: This article is a sponsored content piece produced in partnership with SAP. For inquiries, please email sales@venturebeat.com.