How to leverage your existing IT systems to work more efficiently with AI
Public administration is facing an urgent challenge: processes are becoming increasingly complex, the number of stakeholders is growing, while at the same time staff shortages and demographic change are intensifying the situation. Digital transformation and automation are necessary responses to these challenges.
However, the path toward them is fraught with difficulties. Data is often distributed and inconsistent across different systems and departments – hindering automation and creating significant manual workload.
In addition, many administrative systems have evolved over time and are hardly suitable for the integration of modern AI solutions.
Deploy AI where the technical foundations already exist
Instead of developing new systems from scratch, public organizations can leverage AI-powered features within their existing systems. A prime example is the SAP tools that are widely used in public administration. With the Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), SAP provides its users with a powerful cloud platform that serves as a central technological foundation for developing, extending, and integrating applications.
By harnessing AI, it helps reduce complexity across systems, increase efficiency, and accelerate process execution – all in seamless combination with existing SAP systems (such as SAP S/4HANA).
SAP BTP already provides a variety of AI tools
SAP and its partners have made significant progress in the field of AI in recent years and make these capabilities available through their platform solution, BTP. The most important applications for public administration are:
- Joule – The AI Copilot: Joule is an intelligent assistant that supports employees by automating processes, identifying connections, and providing recommendations. For example, it can help find and process data more quickly – significantly boosting employee efficiency.
- AI for Citizen Services: By leveraging the SAP Business Technology Platform (SAP BTP), municipalities can create a central digital citizen platform where requests are captured seamlessly (e.g., via chatbots and digital application forms), processed automatically, and efficiently handled within the administration. AI-powered features such as automated data analysis and intelligent workflows enable faster, more accurate, and more personalized handling of citizen inquiries, as different systems, tools, and databases are connected and communicate through SAP BTP. This significantly reduces processing times, allowing citizens to receive the support they need more quickly.
- AI for Finance and ERP (SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition): By automating invoice verification and anomaly detection, potential fraud cases can be identified and prevented at an early stage. At the same time, AI enables precise risk prediction for late payments, allowing finance managers to take proactive measures and optimize the overall financial closing process. In addition, AI supports compliance with regulatory requirements by detecting errors in tax postings or other compliance-relevant areas and automatically providing correction suggestions.
- AI in Human Resources (SAP SuccessFactors): Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally transform human resources in public administration by automating and optimizing processes. It enables the targeted identification of suitable talent and supports the development of individual career paths. AI-powered job descriptions allow for more precise and attractive postings, while intelligent systems assist HR managers in interviews with data-driven recommendations. In addition, self-service AI functions enhance the employee experience by providing staff with quick access to relevant information and personalized support.
The SAP Business Technology Platform (BTP) opens up to third-party AI, reducing public administration’s dependence on SAP
Integrating third-party AI into SAP is not only possible – it is already being successfully implemented. The SAP BTP provides the necessary infrastructure to seamlessly embed external, innovative AI solutions into existing administrative processes. This enables workflow automation, improved analytics, and citizen-friendly services.
To integrate third-party AI into SAP systems, powerful tools are available:
- SAP Build: Allows easy development and customization of applications without deep programming knowledge. AI-powered workflows and user interfaces can be created quickly.
- SAP Integration Suite: Provides a scalable platform for seamless connection of external AI solutions to SAP systems. With pre-built connectors and API management, it simplifies the integration of third-party technologies.
Practical examples: successful AI integration
Efficiently handling citizen inquiries: Chatbots like those from Cohere automate citizen requests and relieve administrative staff by answering frequently asked questions independently or forwarding requests directly.
Data analytics for political decision-making: Solutions like Qlik analyze large datasets in real time, providing valuable insights for informed policy decisions.
Conclusion: Take the step toward more efficient and intelligent processes now
Public administrations can benefit from AI without fundamentally restructuring existing systems. SAP provides powerful AI capabilities that can be directly integrated into processes—from finance and human resources to citizen services.
