SAP Says It Is An AI Company

InnovationTransportationSAP Says It Is An AI CompanyBySteve Banker,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover logistics and supply chain management.Follow AuthorMay 17, 2026, 11:28am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.SAP's CEO, Christian Klein, speaks at Sapphire. SAP is not just an enterprise software company. It is an AI company.SAPThe software sector in 2026 was under heavy pressure as Wall Street panicked about a coming “SaaSpocalypse.” This was the idea that AI based on Large Language Models would weaken traditional subscription-based business models. Billions in software market value disappeared within days. Enterprise software stocks were treated like businesses with uncertain futures.Certainly, SAP's stock is down. SAP is the largest provider of enterprise software – software used by big companies to run their business. The stock had fallen roughly 30% over the past year, driven by lower-than-expected cloud revenues. These revenues are a proxy for future growth. Addressing the AI Threat DirectlySAP’s CEO, Christian Klein, addressed these issues directly at Sapphire. Sapphire is the company’s flagship annual conference, where thousands of business leaders, developers, and partners gather to hear about SAP’s latest offerings. “Some time ago, when we started to prepare for this venue, I asked myself the question, ‘Will SAP actually be a software company in the future?’ There is no doubt that AI is changing everyone's life, starting with my own life as a CEO. I use AI for all kinds of tasks.” But AI still makes mistakes. In business, an answer that is 80% right is just not good enough. “According to a recent Stanford AI survey, almost every company is now using AI. But many see little value,” Mr. Klein continued. “Large language models are getting better and better at tasks like generating text or images, or in spe...