Why do most enterprise AI initiatives stay stuck? SAP's MEE president on closing the knowing-doing gap.
Most companies say they are already doing AI. But when you look closer, what you find is a patchwork: several tools running in parallel, rising technical complexity, and integration dead ends that stall real progress. Alexander Kläger, President of Middle and Eastern Europe at SAP SE, has sat across from hundreds of senior executives this year. His verdict is unambiguous: decision-makers are past the hype. They want outcomes, and they want them delivered on the right foundation, not bolted on top of one they are already questioning.
In this episode, Alexander explains why the fear he hears most behind closed doors is not "will AI replace my people?" but rather "are we making the right bet?" He describes how the autonomous enterprise closes the gap between knowing and doing, why business context is the actual differentiator between generic AI and AI that acts inside real processes, and why the next 12 to 18 months represent a learning window that cannot be bought back later. He also shares what finally unlocks Mittelstand CEOs and why MEE has every reason to lead this transformation, not simply follow it.
Episode Chapters 00:00 – Introduction: SAP Autonomous Enterprise Podcast 00:29 – Meet Alexander Kläger: President, SAP Middle and Eastern Europe 00:56 – AI patchwork: what executives are actually doing versus what they say 02:08 – Beyond the hype: decision-makers want results, not participation 03:34 – Behind closed doors: the fear executives will not say out loud 04:49 – The autonomous enterprise in the boardroom: closing the knowing-doing gap 06:18 – The 12-to-18-month window: what you cannot purchase back 07:34 – What unlocks a Mittelstand CEO 09:19 – Why SAP's business context argument lands with executives who have tried generic AI 10:39 – Five years from now: winners will rethink, not just retrofit 11:52 – Outro
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