The AI Revolution : A study on the present and future application and value of AI in the context of ERP systems

Abstract: Business leaders around the world are expressing equal amounts of excitement and urgency for implementing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Yet the upcoming AI revolution is clouded with uncertainties and misconceptions. In this thesis, the business value and application potential of AI were studied in a context of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems through a case study at a consultancy firm with small- to midsize clients. Three research questions were posed and answered: how can, or do, organizational processes covered by ERP systems benefit from AI, what AI features do customers typically request when ordering ERP systems, and is AI adopted with the purpose of reducing costs or increasing revenue? Using a framework for data analysis, multiple organizational processes covered by ERP systems were explored through interviews with ERP experts. The results indicated that small- and midsize companies were still primarily requesting and working to implement basic, incremental AI with the purpose of reducing costs through automations. Future leaders may instead need to implement AI that fundamentally reinvents their business processes, with the purpose of increasing revenue through augmentations. Overall, while some organizational processes have already been improved with AI solutions, many processes have yet to be AI-powered in the ERP solutions sold by the consultancy firm examined in this study. However, the consultants of the firm express great positivity for the untapped potential of AI, and many further AI solutions are being developed.