With a growing library of Joule Agents available across business functions, how do users know which agents to invoke and when? This is where AI Assistants in Joule come in. AI Assistants create a simpler, more intuitive experience that frees users from needing to understand the full landscape of available agents.
In late 2025, SAP introduced role-based AI Assistants within Joule to further streamline how users interact with agents. Each assistant is tailored to a specific user role and automatically taps into the right Joule Agents for the job.
What are AI Assistants in Joule?
AI Assistants in Joule are distinct from Joule Agents. They operate at the experience layer of the Joule ecosystem, while Joule Agents operate at the execution layer.
AI Assistants are designed around roles like People Manager, Cash Manager, or Supply Planner. They assist across a person’s entire role, not just a single workflow. For example, a Receivables Assistant assists an accounts receivable manager role across collections, dispute resolution, invoice processing, and other workflows.
Joule Agents, by contrast, are purpose-built to execute specific, well-defined workflows within business processes. An agent for dispute resolution within the finance function handles that one workflow expertly.
Users interact with AI Assistants, and AI Assistants coordinate agents on the user’s behalf. This creates a simpler and more intuitive experience that frees the user from needing to know which agents are available and relevant to their role, and when and how to use them.
Why AI Assistants Matter
While many are talking about hundreds or even billions of AI agents, what really matters are people. Think about the roles in your organization and the teams that already keep your complex business running every day. Leaders don’t want to navigate multiple bots; they want results. AI assistants in Joule are designed around real roles like People Manager, Cash Manager, Supply Planner, so every person has one smart, context-aware partner in the systems they already use. An assistant that is deeply aware of the person, their role, and the business process context in which they operate.
Each assistant quietly orchestrates Joule Agents—specialized building blocks that summarize cases, chase invoices, track performance, or surface insights. Users only need to talk to their AI assistant; the assistant coordinates the agents.
How AI Assistants Coordinate Agents
Behind every assistant there are multiple agents that work together to complete complex workflows. This can include Joule Agents, custom Joule Agents, and third-party AI agents.
Consider how an Accounts Receivable Assistant works. When a user makes a request related to collections, the assistant coordinates the appropriate collections agent. When the same user asks about dispute resolution, the assistant brings in the dispute resolution agent. The user never needs to know which specific agent is handling their request. They simply interact with their assistant, and the right resources are activated automatically.
This coordination extends across multiple agents when needed. A complex request might require the assistant to orchestrate several agents working together, each contributing their specialized capabilities to deliver a complete solution.
Summary
- AI Assistants in Joule operate at the experience layer, while Joule Agents operate at the execution layer
- AI Assistants are designed around user roles and assist across an entire role’s responsibilities, not just single workflows
- Users interact with AI Assistants, which coordinate the appropriate Joule Agents on the user’s behalf
- This approach simplifies the AI experience by removing the need for users to know which agents to invoke
- Behind every assistant, multiple agents work together to complete complex workflows