SAP Says Fears Of An AI Job Apocalypse Are Overblown

InnovationTransportationSAP Says Fears Of An AI Job Apocalypse Are OverblownBySteve Banker,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I cover logistics and supply chain management.Follow AuthorMay 30, 2026, 10:24am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Sebastian Steinhaeuser, the COO of SAPSAPSAP has two major conferences each year for customers, prospects, and partners. This year’s Sapphire conferences were in Orlando and Madrid. As was the case at Sapphire Orlando, almost all the messaging in Madrid was focused on their approach to AI. While SAP is the largest provider of business software in the world, it is positioning itself not merely as an enterprise software provider but as an AI governance solution provider. I had an opportunity to interview Sebastian Steinhaeuser, the chief operating officer at SAP, at the Madrid conference. Our conversation centered on AI. The transcript was edited for succinctness and clarity. Steve Banker: A lot of the conference has been very technical. This is the AI technology. This is how we're going to manage it. This is the stack. I would like to approach it on a more philosophical level. As you get older, you start to worry about what kind of world you're leaving your children. And to be honest, my biggest fear is AI. And it's not Terminator. It is jobs. I can see AI easily wiping out 20% of jobs worldwide. I follow the supply chain. We have autonomous trucks. Elon Musk is trying to build an autonomous humanoid robot capable of doing everything a person can in a warehouse or factory. I know there's been the argument that when one set of jobs is eliminated, other jobs have always come along. But we've never seen an automation revolution in which 20% of jobs could be wiped out. Maybe I'm being too pessimistic. That is something that doesn't seem to get addressed at any of thes...