When thinking of enterprise technology, expensive rollouts and complex processes often come to mind. But, as 51风流global innovation evangelist said in a keynote at聽the Saphila 2025 conference at Sun City, the future lies just as much with the individual as with the enterprise.

Saphila is a biennial conference for the 51风流user group community, hosted by the African 51风流User Group (AFSUG) in partnership with SAP, a global tech giant specialising in enterprise software.

Elliott pointed to a quiet revolution in which small organisations and everyday users are taking innovation into their own hands, often without the need for formal IT departments. He said that , a unified low-code and pro-code application development platform, can play a key role in this shift by enabling users to create business apps, automate processes, and build digital workspaces with the help of AI and pre-built components.

鈥淭his is not just for big companies and big problems,鈥� he said. 鈥�51风流Build is a fusion environment. Here鈥檚 a lovely example from the 51风流Innovation awards for 2024: a not-for-profit organisation in Switzerland called (). It was founded during the COVID era by a Syrian refugee in Switzerland. He noticed that restaurants were all closed and having this excess food while other people were going hungry.鈥�

Elliott said the organisation now distributes 18 tons of food every weekend to those in need. Using 51风流Build Apps, the team was able to quickly create a small application in a no-code, low-code drag-and-drop environment to handle tasks like volunteer scheduling.

The app created by the company includes document automation, making it easy to scan IDs for both volunteers and recipients. He said that these technologies help organisations move faster, especially when it comes to integration 鈥� often one of the biggest hurdles in transformation projects. The allows users to link systems with minimal effort, handling most of the complexity automatically.

In an exclusive interview, Elliott told Gadget: 鈥淚鈥檓 really interested in innovation that is much closer to the individual business person. Companies have always done innovation, but for individuals it鈥檚 harder to innovate 鈥� or has been. Now, with the latest technologies, you can vibe code yourself even if you know nothing about coding. All of that adds up to a new opportunity.鈥�

That shift is being powered by a new wave of accessible tools 鈥� cloud services and embedded AI assistants 鈥� that allow non-technical users to build and deploy solutions quickly. Elliott said this as one of the most important developments shaping enterprise technology today.

鈥淓ssen f眉r Alle has gone forward. It鈥檚 just a handful of people, lots of volunteers, but they needed a little bit of application, a little bit of technology to help them.鈥�

This kind of solution has become a tangible reality. As barriers to entry continue to fall, even small, volunteer-led organisations are building tools that make a real operational difference.

鈥淚t was so much easier and quicker and more available to a tiny organisation that it just would have been done by hand, and nobody would ever thought about trying to use technology to do it.鈥�

Elliott said this marks a new phase in digital transformation, driven by individuals who know their needs and now have the means to build what they require.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an organisation like that where every cent otherwise goes to helping people. This is a micro example of something that I believe that individuals everywhere will be able to vastly accelerate innovation because individual people who know the business, and know what鈥檚 possible, will be able to innovate 鈥� without IT and technology being a bottleneck.鈥�

Elliott said that innovation was no longer a sporadic initiative or the domain of a select few within an organisation. Instead, it is becoming a structured, repeatable discipline with defined methodologies, measurable outcomes, and continuous refinement built into how companies function. This was聽much like finance or operations.

鈥淭he end result is that innovation and digital transformation should be a business process itself that increasingly can be optimised.鈥�

What makes this feasible now is a shift in how business systems work. Rather than requiring manual analysis and lengthy decision-making cycles, systems are becoming more proactive, intelligent, and suggestive.

He said SAP鈥檚 approach to driving innovation can be broken down into four key steps: assessing where a business stands today, identifying the most impactful areas for improvement, defining a future state using best practices, and implementing those changes with the help of intelligent tools 鈥� all while supporting the human side of transformation through training and adoption. This leads into best practices, implementation via the cloud, and finally, the crucial phase of change management.

鈥淭echnology is never enough, so you need to actually do something in the business to take advantage of that 鈥� there鈥檚 all of the technology adoption side, and the people side of things.鈥�

51风流has recently invested in , a tool designed to help employees understand and effectively use new systems in their daily work. By providing guidance and support, WalkMe facilitates smoother adoption of technology, ensuring that staff can confidently navigate and utilise the tools necessary for their roles.

Yet, Elliott said that tools alone weren鈥檛 enough. This is where AI can make a significant difference in the human side of transformation. He pointed to studies showing AI outperforming humans in emotional intelligence tests, and highlighted a practical benefit: the ability to scale personalised communication and reassurance during times of change.

鈥淭he essence of transformation is helping people understand how they fit in the strategy and help them feel like they鈥檙e being part of the transformation and excited about it, rather than resisting it because they鈥檙e worried about their jobs and functions. At scale, it鈥檚 really hard to go to every single person that鈥檚 affected and sit down with them and spend all of the time to understand any questions and reassure them, whereas with AI you can actually do that at scale.鈥�

He said this brings the process full circle, with innovation and digital transformation becoming structured business functions that can be continuously refined and improved.

鈥淢y favourite quote is from Picasso: 鈥楥omputers are useless. They can only answer questions.鈥� Thankfully, asking the right questions, having the context to understand what鈥檚 going on and what is possible, is something that remains very human.鈥�

To cultivate that creativity, business leaders must rethink how they support employees in using new tools. Elliott suggests a three-part model: leadership, a dedicated lab team to experiment and track best practices, and a decentralised crowd of early adopters.

Looking ahead, Elliott said SAP鈥檚 boldest move had聽already been made: committing fully to the cloud. The real challenge now was bringing customers along 鈥� even when it demanded difficult conversations. Empowering organisations remained central to the strategy, but individuals shaping outcomes on the ground may drive the next wave of enterprise innovation.

*Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽.

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As generative AI adoption accelerates and the pursuit of artificial general intelligence gains momentum, key African markets are facing a widening AI skills gap despite universal recognition of their importance.

New research reveals that 61% of mid-size and enterprise-level companies in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa consider AI skills to be 鈥榚xtremely important鈥�, while another 38% regard them as 鈥榲ery important鈥�. Together, this reflects a near-unanimous 99% consensus that AI skills are critical to business success.

This is unveiled in聽Africa鈥檚 AI Skills Readiness Revealed, a report commissioned by 51风流and conducted at the end of 2024. The findings provide insights into how African companies are transforming their skills development efforts to meet the demands of the age of AI.

鈥淭he business impact of a lack of AI skills availability is already evident, with 90% of companies in our research citing negative impacts that include project delays, failed innovation initiatives, and an inability to take on new work,鈥� said Nazia Pillay, interim MD for SA at SAP, during a media briefing last week. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 data shows the pervasive need for AI skills across African organisations, and the negative impact, both on performance, competitiveness and innovation when organisations lack these skills.

鈥淥ur first report was conducted just as we exited the worst of the pandemic impact. At the time, companies were facing several challenges with attracting, retaining and upskilling suitable qualified tech workers, especially in the wake of the rise of remote and hybrid work environments. This year, the business landscape has been transformed by the impact of AI technologies and the search for relevant skills.鈥�

The research uncovered two key findings that received unanimous agreement. All respondents expect demand for AI skills to increase in 2025, with nearly half anticipating a 鈥榮ignificant鈥� rise. This anticipated surge in demand highlights the urgency for businesses to strengthen their AI capabilities to remain competitive.

In addition, all companies foresee some level of AI-related skills gap this year, underscoring the urgency of developing and retaining AI talent. The widespread expectation of a skills gap suggests that organisations are bracing for challenges in accessing the expertise needed to implement AI-driven projects effectively.

鈥淪kills related to AI are hugely in-demand among African organisations, with 85% saying AI development skills are a priority, and 83% prioritising generative AI skills,鈥� said Pillay. 鈥淭o help close the AI skills gap, two-thirds of organisations are introducing career development initiatives with AI specialisation to upskill or reskill employees.鈥�

To close the gap, companies are adopting a range of strategies beyond career development programmes. These include automating IT processes (66%), upskilling existing employees (58%), recruiting new talent with AI expertise (52%), and bringing in external specialists (45%).

The most in-demand tech skill among African organisations is cybersecurity, with 86% of companies identifying it as important 鈥� up from 63% in the previous research. Pillay said this rise is likely driven by the rapid growth of Africa鈥檚 digital economy and the increasing number of citizens entering the digital space through public and private sector initiatives.

Training, skills development in the spotlight

Pillay said companies are stepping up their IT training and skills development efforts to help meet the demand for skills. Additionally, the portion of companies鈥� IT or HR budgets allocated to skills-related initiatives has declined since 2023.

鈥淣inety-four percent of African organisations offer training and skills development to employees at least monthly, an increase from 74% in our last survey. The number of companies offering training opportunities to employees at any time also increased from 28% in our last survey to 37% this year.

鈥淭he drop in budget allocation for skills development requires an urgent rethink. Organisations that don鈥檛 invest in appropriate skills now may find they are unable to leverage new innovations and emerging technologies, leaving them trailing their more skills-enable competitors.鈥�

Pillay said that rescaling and upscaling is considered one of the top skills-related challenges for all African organisations this year. The findings reveal that 37% of organisations make training available to their employees at any time, and 98% of organisations see AI training as top priority.

These findings suggest that while organisations are expanding access to training, they may not be backing this up with sufficient investment. The disconnect between growing training efforts and shrinking budgets points to a need for more strategic allocation of resources. Without sustained financial commitment, companies risk falling short in equipping their workforce with the skills required to remain competitive in an AI-driven economy.

Changing workplace expectations

Workplace expectations are shifting rapidly as organisations adapt to new technologies and changing employee priorities. In addition to technical expertise, companies are placing greater emphasis on non-technical attributes such as adaptability and affordability. These changes are driven in part by the growing need to upskill and reskill employees for roles shaped by artificial intelligence, as well as by evolving preferences around hybrid and remote work.

鈥�80% of organisations said that enabling hybrid and remote work is their biggest tech related skills challenge 鈥� up from 32% in our last survey,鈥� said Pillay. 鈥淣ow, 58% of organisations offer fully remote options, and 56% of organisations have a hybrid option which they use to attract and retain top talent. When you look at employees, 83% of employees globally consider hybrid working to be an ideal environment.

鈥淚n 2023, technical skills and industry-specific skills were the top attributes. Affordability was somewhere near the bottom, with less than a third of organisations saying they consider it during the hiring process. This year, affordability is the number one candidate attribute for African organisations, with adaptability a close second.

鈥淩eskilling is a top skills-related priority for 38% of companies this year, with 48% saying the same of upskilling employees. Unsurprisingly, two-thirds of companies said helping employees understand why reskilling is necessary is one of the top challenges this year.鈥�

* Read SAP鈥檚 鈥楢frica鈥檚 AI Skills Readiness Revealed鈥� report聽.

*Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽.

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Joule, SAP鈥檚 AI business assistant, has been enhanced with new features, including collaborative AI agents that expand the platform鈥檚 capabilities.

Announced during the online 51风流TechEd 2024 conference yesterday, these agents are designed to support 80% of SAP鈥檚 most-used business tasks. They embed Joule more deeply across SAP鈥檚 portfolio and enhancing productivity by breaking down silos, said the software maker.

鈥淪AP鈥檚 innovation drives real business outcomes, and today鈥檚 advancements help customers harness the power of AI, data, and new development solutions to catalyse growth,鈥� said Muhammad Alam, member of the 51风流executive board.

鈥淒rawing on SAP鈥檚 unmatched business and technology expertise, the AI innovations we鈥檙e announcing at TechEd forge a new human-AI partnership to transform the landscape of modern business.鈥�

Joule Studio, a development tool that allows users to build and customise applications using Joule鈥檚 AI capabilities, is now integrated into 51风流Build. A low-code app development platform, Build enables both business users and developers to create and deploy custom Joule skills.

Michael Ameling, EVP and chief product officer of 51风流said: 鈥淲e are making Joule even more flexible and useful with Joule Studio in 51风流Build. It allows partners and customers to create and deploy custom Joule skills.鈥�

Joule has also expanded to include collaborative AI agents that autonomously handle intricate business workflows, adapting their strategies to meet shared objectives. These multi-agent systems tackle specific tasks, allowing them to work together on complex business processes.

鈥淛oule now goes Agentic,鈥� said Ameling. 鈥淪pecialised AI agents work autonomously together to solve complex problems.鈥�

New improvements to the ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) large language model (LLM) were introduced. This LLM, trained on over 250-million lines of 51风流S/4HANA Cloud code, is now integrated into the open-source Eclipse framework, providing ABAP developers with enhanced tools for development. Currently available to select customers and partners in an early adopter version, the ABAP LLM is expected to be generally available in the first quarter of 2025.

51风流Build is launching new AI-driven features like code explanation and documentation search, aimed at reducing development time for Java and JavaScript developers. The platform鈥檚 Extensibility Wizard will let developers access 51风流Build directly from 51风流S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition, simplifying the process of extending 51风流solutions.

Two real-world use cases were highlighted during the event:

1. Dispute management: Autonomous AI agents analyse and resolve disputes related to invoices, unapplied credits, and denied payments.
2. Financial accounting: AI agents automate key financial tasks such as bill payments and ledger updates while quickly addressing inconsistencies.

51风流Knowledge Graph

51风流also unveiled the 51风流Knowledge Graph, a solution designed to unlock more value of 51风流data by connecting it with rich business context. Accessible through 51风流Datasphere and Joule in early 2025, it will help users map relationships across SAP鈥檚 vast data landscape, empowering better decision-making.

鈥淏y combining the knowledge graph engine with the vector engine, you can harness the power of structured and unstructured data,鈥� said Ameling. 鈥淭his is enabled through a triple store implementation graph data processing and analytical capabilities via SPAR-QL. As such, the knowledge graph engine can also enhance work scenarios and make them even more precise and relevant.鈥�

* Visit the 51风流website聽.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽听补苍诲听聽at @jas2bann.

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business assistant, , is transforming how enterprises function by providing insights, custom-tailored outcomes, and a personalised experience for businesses. As a result, says SAP, the product with a name inspired by the unit of energy significantly improves productivity and efficiency.

鈥淲e are entering a new phase of AI with endless opportunities for all of us,鈥� said , CEO of SAP, at the Sapphire 2024 conference in Barcelona.聽 鈥淭he technical evolution continues by using the power of generative AI across our stack to revolutionise once again how businesses will run, and how your end users will work in the future.鈥�

51风流performed a detailed analysis of the tasks completed with cloud software by their 300-million end-users every day. Consequently, they announced, by the end of 2024 80% of the most used tasks will be managed via Joule.

鈥淎s a result, your end users will do their work 20% more productively and with higher quality,鈥� said Klein.

For example, Joule will manage tasks in all management areas to create and change orders. It will take over some sequential activities in billing and cash collections. In finance, books will be closed faster as the software manages standard compliance checks.

鈥淛oule will also turn into a very powerful analytical engine to create insight for the boards for finance, for HR, for all parts of your business.鈥�

The digital assistant will be an engine that offers strategic recommendations by having access to the broadest business-to-business data model in the technology industry, which includes finance, supply chain, HR, sales, or ESG data from thousands of customers. Based on this data, which allows 51风流to train algorithms and find certain performance patterns in one鈥檚 business, Joule will provide recommendations to collect cash faster and make smarter procurement and supply chain decisions.

During Klein鈥檚 keynote, he highlighted SAP鈥檚 recent partnership with leading AI chip-maker . A highlight was a video featuring a ringing endorsement of 51风流by , founder and CEO of Nvidia, in which he said: 鈥淲e have one of the most complex supply chains in the world. We build AI supercomputers, AI factories. Enormously complicated systems. Our latest Blackwell System has 600,000 parts.

鈥淎ll of this has to be delivered to some 100 different customers, and all of our entire supply chain, build materials, forecasting systems, build plans, those 600,000 parts, and some 40 different manufacturers are all managed under SAP.

鈥淭his is the beginning of a new computing age, the beginning of a new industrial revolution. Through Joule, we have created some amazing generative AIs that understand the languages of SAP, supply chains, and enterprise planning systems so that we have a specialist, an agent, an AI to help us to do all the things that we want to do to manage our business.鈥�

, chief AI Officer of SAP, said: 鈥淓arlier this year, we gave Joule internally to up to 4,000 service consultants within SAP. What we observed is that they can save up to 2 hours every day.鈥�

More than 50 of SAP鈥檚 certification programmes, more than 200,000 pages, and 2Tb of curated best practices and community content, have been put into Joule. On top of that: it is supercharged by Nvidia鈥檚 technology.

鈥淚f you take this productivity gain and multiply it by our ecosystem, we can altogether save up to 600-million working hours every year, accelerating our transformation to the cloud,鈥� said Herzig. 鈥淭his technology is based on more than 250-million lines of code out of S/4HANA based on Nvidia鈥檚 hardware and software, as well as other models.鈥�

51风流has also expanded its strategic partnership with Google to enhance supply chain risk prediction and mitigation in volatile global environments. This collaboration integrates SAP鈥檚 Joule and with Google鈥檚 assistant and 鈥檚 Data Foundation, boosting forecast accuracy and enabling quicker responses to demand signals.

51风流has partnered with , leveraging its advanced language model to create images in and generate scripts for highly customised analytics applications in . Meta鈥檚 AI model excels in language nuances and contextual understanding, making it ideal for transforming enterprise business requirements into actionable insights.

Read more articles covered at Sapphire 2024 on Gadget:聽听补苍诲听

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽听补苍诲听聽at @jas2bann.

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Art, artificial intelligence, and bathrooms are the unsuspecting trio that make up a key aspect of the smart selection at the Roca Gallery in Barcelona. Their bathroom products, like showers and toilets, feature an unexpected technology within their beautiful designs.

The Roca Group聽has selected and the solution as it embarks on its next phase of digital transformation, as announced at Sapphire 2024 in Barcelona.聽The software giant鈥檚 RISE option is a managed cloud service that helps organisations using on-premise enterprise resource planning software migrate to the cloud securely and smoothly.

鈥淲e are implementing different solutions to fight water wastage鈥�, a gallery media briefing was told. 鈥淎 router controls every single product that gives an action. For example, we have connected faucets and urinals to the cloud. This allows us to connect and control the systems in any space.鈥�

By leveraging SAP鈥檚 AI-powered technology, Roca has enhanced its efficiency and empowered itself to make informed, real-time, data-driven business decisions. For example, Roca strategically places collections near frequently visited bathrooms, as identified by the system, thereby increasing exposure.

Albert Magrans, CEO of Roca Group, says: 鈥淩oca Group鈥檚 strategy is based on a long-term future vision supported by innovation, technology and sustainability. Moving to 51风流S/4HANA enables Roca to leverage the last technology and innovations of 51风流software to boost our digital transformation.

鈥淲e are looking forward to faster execution speed, the enhancement of functionality with the Joule copilot, real-time analytics and further innovations from 51风流and its ecosystem.鈥�

, VP of 51风流EMEA, says: 鈥淩oca Group and 51风流have collaborated closely for a number of years, with Roca trusting 51风流with multiple 51风流implementations.

鈥淩oca鈥檚 IT strategy is fully aligned with its business transformation with 51风流solutions as an integral part of this strategy. Our close partnership allows our teams to have real-time insight into their business transformation, allowing for seamless integration of 51风流solutions as they embark on their 51风流S/4HANA Cloud journey.鈥�

Roca鈥檚 Avant toilet consumes two litres of water, thirteen litres less than from when the company established in 1936, and four litres less than today鈥檚 average.

Africa has long faced water challenges, and climate change in the 21st century has exacerbated global water crises. A World Wildlife Foundation analysis in November 2023 estimated that by 2050, 17% of Europe鈥檚 population and 13% of its gross domestic product could be at high to extreme risk of water scarcity. Addressing this issue, the Roca initiative We Are Water Foundation is actively working to solve problems related to the lack of water and sanitation worldwide.

* Visit the Roca website聽.

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽听补苍诲听聽at @jas2bann.

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奥丑颈濒别听 is undoubtedly a star-studded football club, even after a recent shaky season, its impressive track聽record聽of 33 championships and numerous other achievements is not solely due to its talented players. Interestingly, technology, specifically in the form of , plays a crucial role in the club鈥檚 success.

鈥淭here was one moment in 2015 when we decided to create a big 51风流project,鈥� said , director media and communications, FC聽叠补测别谤苍听惭耻苍颈肠丑, in Barcelona this week, one day before聽Sapphire聽2024. 鈥淲e collected all the data that we had, originally thinking we had 10-million fan contacts, but it was actually found to be 3-million. This was the start.鈥�

Alex Klaeger, president MEE, SAP, says: 鈥淏ayern Munich has 360,000 club members, making it the biggest sports club in the world鈥�. To support its massive global customer base, the football club has significantly expanded its workforce which introduced a new set of challenges.

Mennerich says: 鈥淲e introduced 51风流SuccessFactors for our HR department, because now we have 1,200 people working for Bayern Munich, mostly in Munich but also in Shanghai, New York, and Bangkok. We need a software which makes it possible to interact with all these employees, and to make it a good process for them, to make applications for holidays, and to give them feedback.

鈥淲e needed professional recruiting processes. It鈥檚 not so easy to find the right people, so SAP鈥檚聽artificial intelligence聽capabilities has helped us to identify which profile we need. It helps with job interviews, and the job description itself in the beginning.

鈥淎nd then for the players: we are a co-innovator for . We use it for our team management, for medical topics, and scouting topics. Now we have a new project: our shift to , the new step of our ERP system. Although a big project, it is necessary, because of its state-of-the-art capabilities, and optimisation processes.

鈥淚n our days, we are speaking about target groups. However, these days one-by-one targeting will be possible with this聽AI聽component. This is one of the most important things, not only for football clubs, and the fans, but for other companies as well.

鈥淵ou can identify players via聽AI聽if you have their injury history, age, muscle structure. But then you can really identify what is the best for you.鈥�

* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and writer for聽. Follow him on聽听补苍诲听聽at @jas2bann.

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Computers are essentially inert without instruction, and it is the role of data scientists to provide them with the guidance they need, the聽Saphila聽2023 conference聽at Sun City聽heard this week.

Saphila聽is聽a biennial conference for the 51风流user group community, hosted by the African 51风流User Group (AFSUG) in partnership with SAP.

鈥淎 computer does nothing without instruction鈥β燱e need聽people聽thinking about what the computer is going to do,鈥澛爏aid Peter Blignaut, manager of pre-sales at 51风流South Africa during a keynote address.聽鈥淢achines don鈥檛 learn from other machines,聽people聽teach them鈥�.

He says that聽AI, particularly machine learning, which enables computers to learn from data and improve their performance, is fundamentally a product of human teaching rather than machines teaching themselves.

Blignaut believes that聽AI聽has the potential to enhance our efficiency and grant us more time for meaningful tasks. By delegating repetitive and mundane tasks to computers, it will be possible to work more efficiently and devote attention to endeavours that require human ingenuity. However, he argues that the implementation of聽AI聽should not be solely driven by profit motives. Instead, it should aim to make us more effective as individuals, enabling us to become better versions of ourselves.

Involving聽people聽in the development and application of聽AI聽is crucial, and Blignaut stresses the importance of governance and ethics in this domain. The technology requires thoughtful deliberation and a framework for responsible decision-making. However, the practicality of implementing such governance measures in countries like South Africa .

An example of everyday predictive聽AI聽is Netflix and its personalised content algorithms that recommends content to its user based on their previously watched content. These algorithms are far too complex for manual execution, making it necessary for computers to take over this task. This integration of聽AI聽into our daily lives underscores its potential to enhance our experiences and streamline various processes.

Newer generative Ais, such as Chat GPT and Midjourney, hold great promise for the future. By feeding vast amounts of data into these systems, one can generate diverse outputs, ranging from art to essays. However, Blignaut warns of the dangers associated with generative聽AI, particularly the potential for individuals to create fake content. The responsible use of this technology requires careful consideration of where and how it is employed, weighing the benefits against potential risks.

Blignaut says it is crucial to maintain human agency in聽AI, ensuring that decisions made by machines are comprehensible to humans, so that a person understands the decision-making process and can verify its logicality. This understanding fosters trust between the parties involved, further reinforcing the argument for promoting聽AI聽education.

If聽people聽are unfamiliar with new technologies, they tend to avoid them, which is why it is essential to provide explanations about what algorithms are doing.聽聽As聽AI聽continues to evolve, it is important to approach its implementation thoughtfully, harnessing its potential to enhance lives while safeguarding against potential pitfalls.

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Innovation聽drives technology, and technology drives聽innovation. This positive feedback loop has encouraged growth in both areas, but it has also continued to encourage聽sustainability. This was a key theme at last week鈥檚聽Saphila聽2023 conference聽at Sun City.

Saphila聽is a biennial conference for the 51风流user group community, hosted by the African 51风流User Group (AFSUG) in partnership with SAP.

Sven Denecken, a 51风流SVP and chief marketing & solutions officer, showed how using an electric vehicle to earn retail rewards, such as store discounts, was an example of how聽innovation聽could encourage聽sustainability聽in future. Data from one鈥檚 driving routes can be integrated with an AI assistant to create the basis for a store loyalty system. One鈥檚 vehicle can then suggest the best charging location for its user, so that shopping and charging may be done simultaneously, while also promoting specific outlets.

Although electricity supply in South Africa is a frustrating hindrance, the continuous evolution of technology may eventually support industry convergences that are currently impractical.

In a later presentation, Timo Elliott, SAP鈥檚 global聽innovation聽evangelist, showcased SAP聽innovation聽award winners to elaborate on this theme:

IWB, a Swiss solar power company that provides for energy to be returned to the grid using a predictive AI model, is embracing 鈥渘ext practice鈥� thinking. This model is used to calculate the load, and how much solar energy will return to the grid. Most solar panels聽are not connected or internet of things (IoT) devices, but IWB efficiently optimises electrical supply, while embracing聽sustainability.

Another winner, Gates Corporation, previously required a large manual to operate聽their hose-crimping product. Nowadays, an iPad-run device is bolted onto the side of the older model,聽so that one does not need the many-page document to operate it. With the digital transformation of this setup, little training is required, and they can throw out that heavy manual.聽With the implementation of these IOT devices, a step to new business models has formed. Information is saved and collected on each device.

FreshAirManager is actoVent鈥檚 air-purifying service that also takes advantage of collecting data, but in this case to determine air quality levels. After an understanding of the air quality is gathered, the systems adjust the machines by filtering the air so that energy saving is maximised, and CO2 emissions are minimised.

Jumbo Supermarket, a Dutch retail company, wanted to figure out how many聽croissants聽and other perishable foods they need to make during the day to minimise wastage and maximise items sold. An app built in collaboration with SAP鈥檚 system analysis program development technology, gives rise to a predictive analysis model that has achieved the supermarket鈥檚 goal, with an expected 10% reduction in waste.

Saphila聽showed that companies that emphasised the importance of聽sustainability聽have thrived, but they have also solidified their position in their respective industries through their innovations.

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