AI in the World of ERP

An AIS Perspective on the Evolution of Artificial Intelligence in ERP

Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be one of the biggest topics shaping the ERP industry in 2026. Nearly every major ERP vendor is investing heavily in AI capabilities, promising smarter processes, greater automation, improved reporting, and more intuitive user experiences.

But beyond the excitement and announcements, what does this mean for businesses using ERP systems today?

At Advisory IS Solutions (AIS), we’ve made it a priority to stay closely connected to these developments. Throughout this year, our team has attended numerous industry conferences, vendor events, product demonstrations, and technology showcases to see firsthand how AI is being incorporated into ERP solutions.

Leading ERP vendors are increasingly introducing their own AI-powered tools and capabilities, each taking a slightly different approach to integrating artificial intelligence into their platforms. For example, Epicor Prism, SAP Joule, Microsoft Copilot, NetSuite’s expanding AI capabilities, etc. We have had the opportunity to observe how these vendors are approaching this next phase of innovation. While the technology is evolving quickly, a few clear trends are beginning to emerge:

1. AI Is Becoming Part of the ERP Experience

One of the biggest shifts we’re seeing is that AI is no longer being positioned solely as a separate tool or add-on. ERP vendors are increasingly embedding AI directly into their applications and everyday business processes.

2. Automation Is Where We’re Seeing Some of the Most Practical Opportunities

Among the capabilities we’ve seen demonstrated, process automation is one of the most interesting. ERP vendors are exploring ways to use AI to reduce repetitive activities, identify exceptions, and assist with workflows that traditionally require significant manual effort.

Some of the areas showing promise include:

• Finance and Accounting: Assisting with invoice processing, reconciliations, transaction reviews, and identifying unusual activity.
• Purchasing and Supply Chain: Supporting procurement decisions, identifying purchasing trends, and highlighting potential supply chain issues.
• Inventory and Manufacturing: Improving visibility into inventory requirements, production planning, and operational exceptions.
• Workflow Management: Summarizing outstanding activities, recommending next steps, and helping users manage approvals and routine tasks.

Not all these capabilities are available or equally mature across ERP platforms. However, the direction is clear: vendors are looking for opportunities to move beyond simply recording transactions toward helping businesses manage the work surrounding those transactions.

3. Reporting and Analytics Are Becoming More Accessible

Another area that has caught our attention is how AI could change reporting and business intelligence. Traditionally, creating reports often requires users to understand reporting structures, data fields, and sometimes specialized reporting tools. AI is introducing the possibility of a much more conversational approach by asking your ERP system:

• Why did our operating expenses increase last quarter?
• Which inventory items are experiencing the highest carrying costs?
• What purchase orders are overdue?
• Which projects are exceeding their budgets?

Instead of manually building reports and analyzing multiple spreadsheets, users may increasingly be able to ask questions directly and receive relevant insights, summaries, and visualizations. For management teams, this could mean faster access to information and improved decision-making.

However, there is an important consideration: AI-generated insights are only as reliable as the underlying data and business processes supporting them. Businesses still need accurate information, consistent processes, and appropriate controls to get meaningful value from these capabilities.

Our Perspective: AI Should Support Business Needs, Not Drive the ERP Decision

At AIS, we see significant potential in the continued development of AI within ERP platforms. However, we also believe businesses need to approach these capabilities with a practical mindset. AI should not become the primary reason to replace an ERP system or select one vendor over another.

The fundamentals still matter:

• Does the ERP support the organization’s core business processes?
• Can it meet operational and reporting requirements?
• Does it integrate effectively with the existing technology environment?
• Is the underlying data reliable and well structured?
• Will the proposed functionality deliver measurable business value?

An ERP system with impressive AI capabilities is not necessarily the right solution if it cannot adequately support the business’s day-to-day requirements. In some cases, organizations may also discover that their existing ERP platform is introducing new functionality that can help address current challenges without requiring a complete system replacement. The opportunity is not simply to adopt AI. It’s to identify where AI can make an existing or future ERP environment work better.

As a vendor-neutral ERP advisory firm, our role is to help clients make informed technology decisions based on their business requirements, rather than the latest product announcements.

That’s why continuing to attend vendor conferences, participate in product showcases, and engage with ERP technology providers is important to our team. Being able to see these capabilities firsthand helps us understand how different platforms are evolving, where meaningful improvements are being introduced, and how AI is beginning to play a role in ERP implementations. This allows us to better advise organizations on how they can leverage these emerging capabilities based on their unique business needs, operational priorities, and long-term objectives.

We expect AI to remain a major focus of ERP innovation over the coming years. As ERP vendors continue introducing new capabilities, AIS will remain engaged with the industry, evaluating developments and considering how they can translate into meaningful improvements for the organizations we support.