SAP will be embedding its generative artificial intelligence assistant Joule into its expense management platform Concur, bringing it a step closer to becoming fully automated.
Joule, which is expected to be available in the second quarter of this year as part of Concur Expense, aims to help answer questions from employees using the tool as they file expense reports, thereby reducing effort. It also should be able to make a timeline of expenses, check for mistakes and missing expenses and to make recommendations on how to finish the report.
The AI copilot will also be made available in Concur Travel, the corporate travel management solution, and is anticipated to be available later this year though it is live now in the SAP Early Adopter Care program. In Concur Travel, Joule is meant to assist with location planning for meetings held offsite, including recommendation generation and flight and hotel cost estimations.
The AI agent news came alongside a slew of announcements at the SAP Concur Fusion event in Seattle this week.
“At SAP Concur, we’re creating a world where travel and expenses practically manage themselves,” said Chris Juneau, senior vice president at SAP and head of product marketing at SAP Concur. “We continue to deliver on that journey with these touchless experiences enabled by industry-leading generative AI and close partnerships with top payment providers.”
SAP Concur also revealed it is expanding its partnership with American Express in an effort to streamline expense management for shared customers of the two brands. As part of the expansion, the duo launched a real-time authorization data capability for purchases made on American Express corporate cards. With the capability, expenses will be automatically generated and categorized in Concur Expense. The feature will become available for meal expenses to start and will include mobile notification to remind employees of expense policies.
In addition, SAP Concur is working to expand its Mastercard integration that allows for automated expense entry when a purchase is made.
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Concur Travel also has incorporated American Express Global Business Travel's hotel marketplace which includes more than two million properties in 180 countries.
“We are redefining the business travel experience, raising the bar for integrated travel and expense management like never before with the power of SAP Business AI,” said Charlie Sultan, president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur. “It’s exciting to see our large, global customer base benefit from continual innovations that enhance the user experience and serve the needs of travelers, travel managers and CFOs."
In 2024, Concur touched on enhancements to Concur Travel, its Mastercard partnership and automation in Concur Expense among product updates unveiled at its Fusion event.