AI is top of all event agendas

To give you a sense of how dominant the topic of AI is among the large software vendors, here are just a few of the upcoming events, all sporting a common theme:

Oracle

• Oracle CloudWorld Tour – New York City
  May 6, 2025 | Hilton Midtown
  A one-day event focusing on cloud, data, and AI innovations.

• Oracle DatabaseWorld: Multicloud AI Edition
  May 7, 2025 | Convene, 360 Madison Avenue, NYC
  Explore Oracle’s AI and multicloud innovations with hands-on workshops and networking opportunities.

Microsoft

• Microsoft 365 Community Conference
  May 6–8, 2025 | Las Vegas
  A premier event for Microsoft 365 users, focusing on collaboration tools and AI integration.

• Microsoft Build 2025
  May 19–22, 2025 | Seattle
  An annual developer conference highlighting the latest in Microsoft technologies, including Azure and AI advancements.

IBM

• IBM Think 2025
  May 5–8, 2025 | Boston
  Join over 5,000 business and technology leaders to explore AI, automation, and hybrid cloud strategies.

SAP

• SAP Sapphire & ASUG Annual Conference
  May 19–21, 2025 | Orlando, Florida
  SAP's premier event showcasing innovations in enterprise applications and business AI.

Salesforce

• Agentforce World Tour NYC
  May 21, 2025 | Javits Center, New York
  Experience 180+ sessions on AI-driven agents and personalized customer experiences.

ServiceNow

• Knowledge 2025
  May 6–8, 2025 | Las Vegas
  ServiceNow's flagship event focusing on AI in workflow automation and digital transformation.

By the end of May, the industry can expect a slew of new AI-related tools, technologies, offers and pricing. So what does that mean for SAM and procurement teams? 

Licensing: New costs, New Models

• AI add-ons are becoming the norm: Microsoft Copilot, Salesforce Einstein, and SAP Joule are being sold as premium features rather than included capabilities. That means new SKUs, bundled packages, and often per-user or per-transaction pricing models.

• Shift toward consumption-based pricing: AI capabilities are increasingly priced by usage (e.g. number of API calls, hours of AI inference), making licensing far less predictable.

• Bundling and obfuscation: Vendors may use AI buzz to repackage offerings, making it harder to isolate value and negotiate effectively.

The takeaway: SAM and procurement teams need to carefully assess ROI, avoid double-dipping on existing functionality, and challenge ambiguous bundling.

Software Asset Management: More Complexity, More Risk

• License sprawl from AI tools: Expect more niche tools and trial licenses to pop up as departments experiment with AI solutions—many of which may bypass procurement.

• Audits will get sneakier: Vendors may use AI adoption as a trigger for audits or soft audits, especially where integrations with core platforms occur.

• New data, new rules: AI models often process sensitive data, raising questions about data residency, usage rights, and license compliance tied to data governance.

The takeaway: SAM needs to evolve to track not just software installs, but how AI capabilities are being used and whether they comply with contractual terms.

Procurement: Strategic Partnerships, Not Just Price Battles

• Vendor lock-in gets deeper: AI features often only work fully when integrated with a vendor’s broader ecosystem (e.g. Microsoft Copilot requires M365 E5). This reduces flexibility and increases long-term TCO.

• More stakeholder involvement: Procurement will need to collaborate closely with IT, Legal, and Risk to evaluate AI offerings from a value, ethics, and compliance perspective.

• Opportunity for leverage: As vendors push AI adoption, procurement can use this as a bargaining chip in renewals and expansions—if they’re prepared.

The takeaway: Now’s the time to challenge vendors on transparency, roadmap clarity, and true value—not just features.