AI That Acts, Not Just Chats: The Integration Advantage | feat. Craig Stasila

Niklas Siemer is joined by Craig Stasila, Senior Director of Product Marketing at SAP, to unpack how integration is the missing link powering the next generation of agentic AI. From the rise of autonomous agents to real-world enterprise applications, they explore why AI cannot deliver meaningful business value without strong integration foundations. You’ll hear how SAP Integration Suite, APIs, and event-driven architectures are evolving to make AI agents smarter, safer, and more connected than ever before. They also dive into the newly announced support for MCP in SAP Integration Suite, how it standardizes communication between AI agents and business systems, and what this means for developers and architects working to operationalize AI across the enterprise. Also in this episode: What “agentic AI” really is—and how it differs from chatbots or RPA. Why integration is the backbone of every AI system, connecting agents to real-world business data and actions through APIs. How SAP Integration Suite and event-driven architecture enable real-time data exchange, reliability, and secure AI access. How the Model Context Protocol (MCP) will shape the next generation of API and AI agent interoperability. Governance and safety frameworks ensuring humans stay in control as AI agents scale across business processes. Real-world use cases showing how integration and AI agents can optimize procurement, supply chains, and decision-making. Best practices and architectural patterns for balancing real-time responsiveness with data reliability. Plus, hear Craig’s take on ska music, mixology, and how the DIY mindset of punk rock mirrors today’s rapid experimentation in AI and integration innovation. Don’t miss this deep dive into how SAP BTP and Integration Suite are helping enterprises move from hype to hands-on success in the era of agentic AI. Listen on Spotify: https://sap.to/605078AAM Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://sap.to/605178AA3 Listen on SAP Podcasts: https://sap.to/605278AAO Learn more about SAP Integration Suite: https://www.sap.com/products/technolo... 00:00 - Why LLMs need integration to act 01:36 - Welcome & episode setup (Unlocking SAP BTP) 03:55 - The “SAP-to-toaster” integration story 07:47 - Agentic vs. non-agentic workflows 12:16 - Where iPaaS fits for AI agents 19:17 - Real-time data & vector planning 32:41 - Governance, guardrails & human-in-the-loop 38:34 - Day-in-the-life: procurement/Joule use cases 42:26 - SAP TechEd: MCP server in Integration Suite + Graph 58:28 - Thanks & goodbye #SAPBusinessAI #AIAgents #IntegrationSuite