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Salesforce's recent public demo of its AI technology at the Dreamforce conference in San Francisco has sparked a heated debate among experts regarding whether the company's demo breached SAP's controversial API policy. The controversy highlights the delicate balance between innovation and compliance in the realm of AI and SAP, and raises questions about the feasibility of compliance with existing policies and regulations.
Salesforce's recent demo of its AI technology at Dreamforce sparked a debate among experts about whether it breached SAP's API policy. The policy regulates the use of APIs for interacting with autonomous or generative AI systems. Salesforce's AI agent, Marshall, was showcased performing supplier onboarding with SAP in a sandbox environment. SAP's policy prohibits the use of APIs for "interaction or integration with (semi-) autonomous or generative AI systems" unless through SAP-endorsed architectures. Salesforce's demo used service accounts to interact with SAP through its user interface, potentially bypassing the API policy. Experts disagree on whether the demo complied with SAP's API policy, with some arguing it was reasonable and others claiming it breached the policy. The controversy highlights the need for careful consideration and planning when developing and deploying AI solutions. SAP has taken steps to address concerns about its API policy, but the question remains whether this will prevent other companies from developing non-compliant solutions.
Salesforce's recent public demo of its AI technology at the CRM vendor's flagship Dreamforce conference in San Francisco has sparked a heated debate among experts regarding whether the company's demo breached SAP's controversial API policy. The policy, launched in April, aims to regulate the use of APIs for interacting with autonomous or generative AI systems that plan, select, or execute sequences of API calls.
At the heart of the controversy lies a Salesforce AI agent named Marshall, which was showcased performing supplier onboarding with SAP in a sandbox environment. The demo demonstrated how the AI agent would use "LLM reasoning to really understand the business rules behind that process" and "Marshall will package them up, create a library of trusted actions, and that is where AI reasoning becomes deterministic execution." This highlighted the capabilities of the AI agent in executing tasks with precision, leveraging the trusted actions library to ensure consistency and reliability.
However, SAP's API policy prohibits the use of APIs for "interaction or integration with (semi-) autonomous or generative AI systems that plan, select, or execute sequences of API calls" unless "through and within the limits of SAP-endorsed architectures." This has raised questions about whether Salesforce's demo complied with the policy.
Mario de Felipe, VP SAP data and AI at IT and managed services company Apiphani, expressed concerns about the demo, stating that it "not only did they connect to the SAP API to update a supplier, which would have been simple, but not the wow-effect required for a keynote, they connected to an SAP system, captured SAP application logic... how the BP [business process] role model works... the complete SAP's product behavior." He also emphasized that the demo did not demonstrate compliance with SAP's API policy, as it involved connecting to an SAP system and capturing its application logic.
In response to the criticism, a Salesforce spokesperson claimed that the Dreamforce demonstration interacted with SAP through its user interface using service accounts, without using SAP APIs. The spokesperson argued that the API-use restrictions cited in the LinkedIn post therefore do not apply to the activity demonstrated.
SAP has declined to comment on the matter, but experts such as Marian Zeis, an independent SAP consultant in Germany, have pointed out that the API policy is reasonable as a governance document, but it still does not fit well with how customers actually work today. Zeis also noted that the practical issue of compliance with the policy is a significant concern, particularly for customers who have already deployed GenAI that used APIs.
John Appleby, a long-time SAP expert and former CEO of SAP partner Avantra, cautioned that demos were often designed to "be edgy but not break any license agreements." While he acknowledged that the Salesforce demo may have breached the SAP API policy, he noted that there were ways to integrate these kinds of technology through "a permissible layer like SAP Integration Suite."
The controversy surrounding Salesforce's demo highlights the delicate balance between innovation and compliance in the realm of AI and SAP. As companies continue to explore the possibilities of AI and its applications in the enterprise, it is essential to ensure that compliance with existing policies and regulations does not hinder innovation.
In recent months, SAP has taken steps to address concerns about its API policy, including the launch of its Joule Studio 2.0, which allows developers to create and manage AI agents that can connect and collaborate with third-party tools and systems. However, the question remains whether this will be enough to prevent other companies, such as Salesforce, from developing their own solutions that may not comply with SAP's API policy.
Ultimately, the debate surrounding Salesforce's demo serves as a reminder of the importance of careful consideration and planning in the development and deployment of AI solutions. As the use of AI continues to grow and become more widespread, it is essential to ensure that compliance with existing policies and regulations is not sacrificed for the sake of innovation.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Expert-Scrutiny-of-Salesforces-SAP-API-Policy-Breach-Allegations-A-Delicate-Dance-of-Compliance-and-Innovation-ehn.shtml
https://www.theregister.com/saas/2026/09/24/experts-question-whether-salesforce-demo-breaches-sap-api-policy/5298606
https://guavy.com/wire/stocks/sap-experts-question-salesforce-demo-over-breach-of-api-policy-0y6Hgp9rdBSfHnq4w6BlH2
Published: Thu Sep 24 05:08:35 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
