"Everyone keeps talking about AI just for the sake of AI, but, ultimately, the only thing that matters is the outcome you can achieve." - Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP
Procurement leaders have long felt the pinch: rising expectations, tight budgets, and platforms that struggle to keep up with user expectations. As AI shifts from a buzzword to true capability, procurement needs to rethink what they need from their core procurement suite. What will it take to move from incremental change to a genuine step-change in productivity?
In this episode, Baber Farooq, Senior Vice President, Market Strategy, Procurement Solutions at SAP, discusses the future of SAP Ariba and what "next-gen" truly means for procurement. To do this, Baber draws back the curtain on SAP's rethink of Ariba, including why incremental AI add-ons just weren't enough, and how his team approached trust, transparency, and a seamless transition for current users.
In this episode, Baber speaks about:
- Reimagining procurement technology with AI as a core capability, not a bolt-on
- Why data quality and structure are critical to enabling reliable AI outcomes
- Concrete examples of how generative AI changes real user workflows and decision-making
Links:
- Baber Farooq on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
- Subscribe to Art of Procurement on YouTube
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.