Experts question whether Salesforce demo breaches SAP API policy
For the German vendor, greater challenges may lie ahead, as rivals seek to control the user experience
SAP experts are raising concerns that a recent Salesforce demonstration of AI technology in a public keynote may violate the German software vendor's controversial API policy, which was introduced in April. During the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco, Salesforce product marketing director Katie O'Neil showcased a demonstration where an AI agent named Marshall performed supplier onboarding with SAP, using data from global engineering manufacturer Siemens. The AI agent interacted with an SAP sandbox, learning the necessary steps to accomplish the task.
SAP consultant Mario de Felipe argued that the demo would not be permitted under SAP's API Policy, which forbids impersonation techniques and requires autonomous AI to use SAP-endorsed architectures. According to the policy, any interaction or integration with generative AI systems that plan, select, or execute sequences of API calls is prohibited unless done within SAP-endorsed architectures.
The demo, however, connected to an SAP system and captured its application logic, which SAP claims is not compliant with the policy.
SAP has declined to comment on the matter. A Salesforce spokesperson stated that the demonstration interacted with SAP through its user interface using service accounts, and the API-use restrictions cited in the LinkedIn post do not apply to the activity demonstrated. However, SAP experts disagree, stating that the demo demonstrates a way of doing things that does not align with best practices for deploying AI agents.
SAP's API Policy, launched in April, aims to govern integration with AI systems but may be seen as protectionist in the current AI landscape.
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