From cautious to scaling: SAP customers span the AI readiness spectrum

SAP spent Sapphire 2026 selling the “Autonomous Enterprise,” a vision where AI agents execute business processes themselves . But the customer keynote on Wednesday told a more nuanced story. Lockheed Martin, ExxonMobil, Aeropuertos Argentina, and Levi Strauss each took the stage with a distinct AI strategy, shaped by their industries, risk tolerance, and strategic priorities. “Customers are at different levels of maturity and also in what they want to do,” said Jonathan von Rüeden, SAP’s chief AI officer, in an interview earlier this week. “Some say agents can do only what we tell them to do. Retailers are a bit more forward-looking.” The four companies on stage Wednesday made that span concrete: they ranged from a 115-year-old energy giant deliberately letting the “AI hype carry on” to a 170-year-old fashion brand with more than 1,000 agents already deployed. ExxonMobil: “Let the AI hype carry on.” ExxonMobil is currently in the middle of a massive transformation, ripping out decades of SAP customizations to get to a clean core. The 115-year-old oil and gas giant isn’t rushing into AI, however. “I’m happy to let that AI hype carry on,” said Bill Keillor , vice president of business transformation at ExxonMobil. “Let’s get our fundamentals absolutely right.” That means treating data as a strategic asset that has been trapped. “We really want to release that,” Keillor said. “If you can’t get the foundation right, you’ll pay the price forever.” His advice for CIOs taking on transformation at scale: be clear about strategic intent, put strong governance in place, and pick partners “who don’t just see this as a job but as a win-win.” Lockheed Martin: Readiness is the aim Maria Demaree , CIO of Lockheed Martin, reframed the conversation. “Transformation is not the goal,” she said. “Readiness is.” It’s a deliberate word choice....