Why ERP Vendors Should Get Serious About Real AI (Beyond Bot-Level)

ERP vendors love to throw around the “AI” buzzword these days. But at the root, it usually means a chatbot or maybe some machine learning to scan invoices. That’s fine, but it barely scratches the surface of what’s possible.

The next generation of ERP will live or die based on the vendor’s decision to embed real AI into their products. This doesn’t mean a bolt-on. It means weaving AI deep into the system architecture so it drives real value and significant efficiency gains.

There’s a massive opportunity here for ERP to truly transform business with AI if vendors step up. The ones that do will have a real advantage in the space. Organizations are using AI in other areas of the business, and they’re going to want up-to-date systems that can keep up.

Below are four opportunities for AI to truly revolutionize ERP:

ERP Implementation

ERP implementations are notorious for months of workshops, configuration marathons, and testing rabbit holes. AI can change that. Instead of old-school rule-building, AI natural language processing (NLP) can help to:

• Create ERP validation rules from plain English, skipping the traditional config screens.
• Automatically develop user security profiles based on simple policy statements using NLP.
• Automate data conversion cleanup so junk from the old system isn’t dragged into the new.
• Automatically build out test scenarios based on analyzing real invoices, billing, shipping, BOM, and purchasing data from legacy systems.
• Spin up custom code for enhancements with AI-driven vibe code. No more painful developer backlogs.

That means projects could go live in half the time, with fewer errors, and a lot less stress.

Daily Back-Office

Day-to-day ERP transactions are still quite manual. AI can take them to the next level by replacing the “search-and-click” routine with something smarter. For example, instead of manually searching, imagine just telling the system “process invoice for payment” and it takes you right to the correct screen. This could also enable users to:

• Read a handwritten field ticket, cross-check it against pricing tables, and spin out a pro-forma invoice automatically.
• Automatically select the right GL codes for an invoice based on historical patterns and the facility location (say, the electricity bill at your Houston plant).
• Automate AP rules (pricing, payment terms, shipping terms) by scanning PDF contracts instead of setting up rules for every supplier.

These are the things that eliminate “death by clicks” and make ERP more efficient and effective.

Front Office & Operations

The front-office usually gets stuck with clunky ERP screens that are more confusing than helpful. AI can flip the script and deliver real intelligence, like:

• Automating the production schedule by turning sales orders, inventory, receipts, and constraints into a real production plan in real time.
• Suggesting BOM (bill of material) changes based on how production is running on the shop floor.
• Building out a personnel schedule based on job skills, open projects, and worker locations.
• Handling natural language requests like “I want to purchase a new pump for my Idaho plant,” searching past purchases, and automatically creating a requisition to send to approved suppliers.
• Automatically processing goods receipts, whether you say “I received all material for PO #123” or if a Bill of Lading PDF shows up, the system can book it, flag overages, and send them for approval.

That’s a huge win for operations and front-line teams who want to do their jobs faster and with fewer errors.

Month-End Accounting

Month-end still feels like Groundhog Day in most companies. It’s a time-consuming, stressful swirl of reconciliations, journal entries, and adjustments. AI could be the ultimate month-end wingman:

• Load source documents straight into the ERP and let AI automate reconciliations, journal entries, and flag anything for audit review.
• Run bank reconciliations automatically and book the accruals for any differences.
• Review month-end tasks, entries, and reconciliations, then highlight what’s outstanding based on patterns from previous months.
• Create alerts if a user posts a journal entry to a questionable account that’s rarely used.
• Auto-calculate project accruals for revenue and costs without painful rule configurations.
• Proactively recommend standard cost rate changes for raw materials based on POs and market trend analysis.

This could all turn month-end close into a streamlined, data-driven process. The close that closes itself, so to speak.

How Trenegy Fits In

At Trenegy, we help organizations pick the right ERP system and make sure they’re setting themselves up for the future of AI, not just adding a complex system. We also educate companies on what real AI looks like so you can ask the right questions when talking to ERP vendors. Reach out to info@trenegy.com to chat more.