Enterprise Apps Unpacked

Google union organizer on AI job impact, working conditions

The evidence that AI can eliminate jobs is piling up. Amazon said recently it would lay off 14,000 corporate workers in an effort to become more nimble. The cuts weren't directly tied to AI, but the CEO previously said the workforce would shrink as Amazon continues to embrace AI. Target and UPS announced similar layoffs.
Meanwhile, software vendors announced reductions that were explicitly caused by AI. For example, Salesforce cut 4,000 customer support positions weeks after its CEO said AI was already doing nearly half the work.
In this episode, we examine AI's impact on jobs from the worker's point of view, with insights from people who maintain AI data centers, test the accuracy of search engines and use AI to automate some of their tasks.
Featuring: Shannon Wait, Senior Organizer, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
Efforts to unionize workers to protect them from AI's negative effects.
Federal and state legislation regarding AI and jobs.
Whether AI will be beneficial to jobs in the long run.
References:
Amazon to cut 14K roles in effort to stay 'nimble'
AFL-CIO report, "Artificial intelligence: Principles to protect workers"
AWU-CWA report: "Ghost workers in the AI machine"
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.

AI could save manufacturing from the baby boomer exodus

There's little doubt that AI is starting to eliminate jobs. Recent headlines confirm it. The trend presents a special risk to the manufacturing sector just as baby boomers retire in droves and more companies seek to build up their workforces and reverse the decades-long preference for cheap overseas labor.
But there are positive aspects to AI's impact on manufacturing jobs. Many workers are learning to use it to do their jobs more effectively and prepare themselves for an AI-centric future. Companies are training AI to do work that might not get done at all amid the labor shortages.
In this episode, we explore how using AI to capture and encode the skills of factory workers who are leaving the workforce could keep manufacturers in business, counteract the baby boomer brain drain and make industrial jobs more attractive to young workers.
Featuring: Alex Sandoval, CEO and Co-founder, Allie Systems
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
How Allie's AI, analytics and data platform helps manufacturers monitor and optimize production processes.
Why the software's AI copilot can also serve as a knowledge-transfer and training tool.
Where AI fits in companies' existing learning management and training systems.
References:
How manufacturers are reskilling factory workers for AI adoption
5 challenges of using AI in manufacturing
An overview of Allie's manufacturing software
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

How AI-driven digital ecosystems can improve sustainability

ERP sustainability software mostly focuses on data collection and reporting requirements of environmental, safety and governance (ESG) policies and typically isn't intended to control the business processes that impact the physical environment.
But other digital technology has been used for years to monitor and optimize resource use. Now IoT sensors are increasingly paired with digital twins and AI, and linked with ERP and other enterprise applications, to form a complete digital ecosystem for environmental sustainability.           
In this episode, we explore digital sustainability technologies, their benefits and challenges, and whether more use of the technology will be a net benefit for addressing climate change.
Featuring: Peter Weckesser, Chief Digital Officer, Schneider Electric
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
New capabilities enabled by generative and agentic AI.
The sustainability technologies that have the quickest ROI.
Schneider Electric's work to optimize resource use in AI data centers.
References:
ESG strategy and management: A guide for businesses
Tech a double-edged sword in race to sustainability
Next-gen energy: Reimaging the grid of tomorrow (Peter Weckesser)
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Is AI-powered search the new corporate learning powerhouse?

The internet transformed corporate learning from a paper-based, in-person process to one that is largely delivered in digital form, on demand from nearly any device or location.
More recently, generative AI has provided learning and development (L&D) teams with a tireless assistant that can crank out educational content in minutes. Now AI-powered search is sparking another transformation as employees increasingly use it to find quick answers while they work, learning gradually in ways that suit their personal styles.
In this episode, we examine the evidence for the trend, what L&D professionals should do differently, and how the search technology could affect legacy software, especially learning management systems.
Featuring: Josh Bersin, Founder and CEO, The Josh Bersin Company
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
How AI-powered search changes the way learning content is designed and delivered.
Whether using AI search for training could alleviate worker's fears of being replaced by AI.
What Bersin has learned about the emerging search trend from his company's Galileo AI assistant for HR professionals.
What new developments in AI-assisted search from vendors like Google and Anthropic mean for the corporate learning trend.
References:
Workplace learning: A complete guide for businesses
What is GenAI? Generative AI explained
Galileo Learn, Bersin's AI-driven HR training tool
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Can industry process models fix the agentic AI data problem?

Generative and agentic AI are rapidly infiltrating enterprise software. But both are prone to data management issues that can hobble their effectiveness and lead to AI hallucinations and faulty decision-making that carry significant risks for businesses.
In this episode, we examine an innovative approach that aims to solve these data problems by basing AI models on standard, industry-specific business processes and compliance guardrails while using agentic AI to automate data orchestration across enterprise applications.  
Featuring: Geraldine McBride, CEO, MyWave
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
Why MyWave's agentic AI doesn't require perfect data.
Developing process models for 27 industries.
How SAP Joule copilot and MyWave agents work together.
How the agents can help migrate on-premises SAP ERP to S/4HANA Cloud.
References:
MyWave video case studies
What is agentic AI? Complete guide
Agentic AI governance strategies
SAP sits Joule at the helm of apps, data "flywheel"
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Can you really trust AI with procurement tasks?

Procurement has become a strategic priority with significant impact on the bottom line. It's a data-intensive process that requires communicating with large numbers of suppliers, products and services – the kind of complex, transaction-heavy workflow that is uniquely suited to being automated with generative and agentic AI.
In this episode, we examine how AI can make procurement more effective and efficient, where it fits in the procurement technology landscape and how it assists – but doesn't replace – humans in the loop.
Featuring: Keith McFarlane, CTO, Globality
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
How the Globality cloud platform works.
The capabilities of Glo, the platform's AI agent.
Where the biggest cost savings are.
The importance of getting procurement workers to trust AI.
References:
McFarlane explains why agentic AI may herald a golden age for procurement
10 real-world agentic AI examples and use cases
Globality CEO on agentic AI and the future of procurement
What is GenAI? Generative AI explained
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

How EY is training employees to use AI

AI's growing ability to take over human tasks has many people worried about losing their jobs. Some companies are addressing these concerns by educating employees on how to instead use AI as a helper that frees them for more creative work and adds value.
In this episode, we explore ways to encourage AI use without mandating it, the kinds of training that work best and how to develop a curriculum that covers different experience levels and jobs.
Featuring: Joe Depa, global chief innovation officer, EY
In today's episode, we'll also cover:
EY's massive program for training its 400,000 employees in AI.
Which parts of the business are partly automated with AI.
Ways to gauge the effectiveness of AI training.
References:
What is GenAI? Generative AI explained
The AI skills gap and how to address it
Workplace learning: A complete guide for businesses
How to implement generative AI for 400,000 employees
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.
 

Is geospatial data the real game changer for digital twins?

Digital twins – virtual representations of real-world things – are a hot topic, and they're becoming more capable with the addition of AI and geospatial awareness. In this episode, we explain how AI-enhanced spatial digital twins work, how they're being used today, what it takes to deploy them, and their potential uses.
Featuring: Eric Liu, founder and CEO of TwinMatrix Technologies
In today’s episode, we'll also cover:
How spatial twins differ from other digital twins
Challenges to broader deployment
How low-code/no-code tools could "democratize" spatial twin development
References:
What is a digital twin?
Advantages and disadvantages of digital twin technology
How digital twins can help support sustainability
Debunking the myth: Digital twins are more than just 3D models
To learn more about enterprise applications, check out Search ERP.
To watch the video version our podcast, subscribe to our YouTube channel, @EyeOnTech.

Introducing our new podcast: Enterprise Apps Unpacked!

What separates successful enterprise technology implementations from costly failures? Here on Enterprise Apps Unpacked, we’ll do a deep dive into strategies that actually deliver results. Every other Monday, veteran IT journalist David Essex interviews corporate leaders, industry experts and vendors—the people who are truly in the know—about important developments in ERP, HR and supply chain systems and the other applications that run the business. For business and IT leaders, these conversations cut through the chatter to help them make smart decisions about how they buy, deploy and use enterprise software.
 
Episode 1 drops on August 11, 2025 at 5am ET. Rate and review the podcast to tell us how you like this new content. Find us on YouTube at Eye on Tech or explore our written work on Search ERP.
 

SAP makes case for integrated “flywheel” of AI, data and applications

SAP has faced numerous challenges in recent years, but three big ones stand out: moving its on-premises products to the cloud; convincing customers to adopt its current ERP platform, S/4HANA Cloud; and meeting the unprecedented demand for artificial intelligence by developing practical AI applications.
SAP touted significant progress on all three fronts at its annual Sapphire conference, which was held on consecutive weeks this month, first in Orlando and then in Madrid. It repositioned S/4HANA Cloud ERP as a mix-and-match, AI-infused "business suite" – a throwback to the brand name of its previous ERP flagship. It augmented its primary data platform, Business Data Cloud, with prebuilt, composable applications that combine data products with AI and simulation features. And it embedded the Joule AI co-pilot in more business processes across the application suite, making it more autonomous and omnipresent as a user-friendly interface to ERP.
The result, SAP claimed, is an integrated "flywheel" of AI, data and apps that feed off each other to accelerate digital transformation.
While reaction was generally positive, it was leavened with the wait-and-see attitude that is typical after the ambitious promises and glitzy presentations of a software conference. SAP still has integration and data management work to do if the components of the business suite – especially cloud platforms like Ariba and Concur that it acquired – are to work seamlessly together.  
In the podcast, three Informa TechTarget editors offer their analysis of Sapphire developments and observations from the Orlando and Madrid events: Jim O’Donnell, news director at SearchSAP; Brian McKenna, enterprise applications editor at London-based ComputerWeekly; and industry editor David Essex.
Other topics discussed include:
how far SAP has progressed in its AI, cloud and S/4HANA migration efforts    
interviews with SAP executives and partners at the conference
why integration with SAP’s digital adoption platform, WalkMe, could make Joule more autonomous and personalized
Host: David Essex, Industry Editor, Informa TechTarget
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