The global and independent platform for the SAP community.

AI Is Becoming an Integral Part of Everyday Life

The discourse surrounding artificial intelligence is often characterized by myths, ranging from fears of job loss to visions of a dehumanized working world. Current studies address the extent to which these concerns are justified.
Jens Löhmar, Workday
September 18, 2025
avatar

Current studies such as Elevating Human Potential: The AI Skills Revolution and the reality we experience in companies show that AI is not an adversary, but rather a powerful ally that can unleash the full potential of human skills. Rather than causing competition and job loss, AI creates space for the qualities that define us as human: creativity, empathy, and strategic thinking.

Focus on strategic tasks

The study reveals a notable shift: 94 percent of German respondents acknowledge that modern technologies are redirecting employees' attention toward higher-value tasks. These tasks include developing business strategies, solving complex problems, promoting innovation, and strengthening relationships with colleagues and customers. This shift from repetitive tasks to strategic, value-adding roles underscores AI's enormous potential to enhance work quality and employee satisfaction. AI can therefore serve as a catalyst that redefines the workplace, where human intellect and machine efficiency work together seamlessly.

In an AI-enabled environment, empathy, ethical decision-making, and relationship-building will become essential. The study shows that 83 percent of German respondents believe digital technologies increase the importance of human skills and spark creativity, creating new economic value rooted in genuine human qualities. The increased transparency and clear responsibilities that 89 percent of German employees expect from modern technologies contribute to a more defined and potentially more human work structure.

AI promotes human skills

Technology and human work complement each other rather than competing with each other. Digital systems create freedom by freeing people from repetitive tasks. This enables them to focus on creativity, strategic thinking, and collaboration. This paradigm shift makes it clear that a successful future depends not only on technical efficiency but also on promoting human skills in a digitalized world.

AI frees employees from monotonous activities by automating repetitive and time-consuming routine tasks, from data processing to basic analysis. This creates valuable time that allows employees to focus on more complex, strategic tasks. These tasks include developing long-term corporate strategies, solving complex, multilayered problems, creatively designing new products and services, and promoting innovations that secure a competitive advantage.

As AI becomes more adept at data analysis and information processing, interpersonal skills become exponentially more valuable. Effective communication, both internally and externally, is crucial for coordination, knowledge sharing, and successful collaboration in hybrid teams. Teamwork is essential to utilizing AI tools and tackling complex projects. Leaders must guide teams through change, manage AI integration, and foster a culture of continuous growth. Empathy and emotional intelligence are essential for building strong relationships, motivating employees, and fostering an inclusive work environment.

Catalyst for creativity

AI is a powerful catalyst for creativity and innovation, as well as a tool for increasing efficiency. By analyzing large amounts of data and recognizing complex patterns and correlations that often escape the human eye, AI can reveal new perspectives. AI can uncover previously unknown connections, generate hypotheses, and inspire creative solutions and innovative ideas. These solutions can range from product development and marketing strategies to the optimization of internal processes.

Competence development

AI-supported learning platforms and talent management systems precisely identify individual learning needs and skills gaps, revolutionizing professional development. These skills include critical thinking, the ability to evaluate information and solve problems independently, creativity to develop original ideas, and autonomy, or the ability to act independently and take responsibility for outcomes. In the DACH region, these skills are considered essential, yet they often require development, which underscores the importance of personalized, AI-supported learning.

New professions include AI ethicists and others

The integration of AI into the world of work does not necessarily lead to a net loss of jobs; rather, it contributes significantly to the emergence of new roles and career paths. New professional fields are emerging that require a unique combination of human and technological skills.

These include AI ethicists, prompt engineers, data translators, and AI trainers and facilitators, who operate at the intersection of technology and human interaction. These roles demand continuous adaptation and a commitment to lifelong learning and development. The paradigm shift in the world of work brought about by AI does not mean that technology competes with human labor. Instead, it creates synergetic effects that highlight human skills and allow for creativity, strategic thinking, and interpersonal collaboration.

AI maximizes human skills, such as creativity and strategic thinking, and fosters freedom. In today's world of work, corporate success depends on promoting human qualities, with AI serving as a tool.

New corporate culture

However, successfully implementing this change requires more than just technological integration. It requires a transformative change in corporate culture.

This includes fostering an environment that embraces continuous learning, adaptability, and cross-functional collaboration. Companies can ensure that technological advances are seamlessly integrated and lead to sustainable growth and increased productivity by investing in cultural development and continuous learning.


Recommendations for action

Focus on human skills: invest in developing your employees' interpersonal skills, ethical decision-making, and creativity.

Understanding AI as a strategic partner: make targeted use of AI solutions in HR and talent acquisition to increase efficiency and free up human capacity for strategic tasks.

Creating transparency and trust: communicate openly about the use of AI and its functionality to dispel myths and build trust among employees.

Anchoring ethical AI principles: ensure that your company's use of AI meets ethical standards and does not promote discrimination. Maintain human oversight of AI-supported processes at all times.

avatar
Jens Löhmar, Workday

CTO for Continental Europe and the DACH region, Workday


Write a comment

Working on the SAP basis is crucial for successful S/4 conversion. 

This gives the Competence Center strategic importance for existing SAP customers. Regardless of the S/4 Hana operating model, topics such as Automation, Monitoring, Security, Application Lifecycle Management and Data Management the basis for S/4 operations.

For the second time, E3 magazine is organizing a summit for the SAP community in Salzburg to provide comprehensive information on all aspects of S/4 Hana groundwork.

Venue

FourSide Hotel Salzburg,
Trademark Collection by Wyndham
Am Messezentrum 2, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
+43-66-24355460

Event date

Wednesday, June 10, and
Thursday, June 11, 2026

Early Bird Ticket

Regular ticket

EUR 390 excl. VAT
available until 1.10.2025
EUR 590 excl. VAT

Venue

Hotel Hilton Heidelberg
Kurfürstenanlage 1
D-69115 Heidelberg

Event date

Wednesday, April 22 and
Thursday, April 23, 2026

Tickets

Regular ticket
EUR 590 excl. VAT
Subscribers to the E3 magazine
reduced with promocode STAbo26
EUR 390 excl. VAT
Students*
reduced with promocode STStud26.
Please send proof of studies by e-mail to office@b4bmedia.net.
EUR 290 excl. VAT
*The first 10 tickets are free of charge for students. Try your luck! 🍀
The event is organized by the E3 magazine of the publishing house B4Bmedia.net AG. The presentations will be accompanied by an exhibition of selected SAP partners. The ticket price includes attendance at all presentations of the Steampunk and BTP Summit 2026, a visit to the exhibition area, participation in the evening event and catering during the official program. The lecture program and the list of exhibitors and sponsors (SAP partners) will be published on this website in due course.