Building Better Answers With AI Agents: SAP’s Walter Sun

Building Better Answers With AI Agents: SAP’s Walter Sun

Author: MIT Sloan Management Review May 13, 2025 Duration: 33:53
The suggestions and support offered by AI are helpful only if they’re relevant. On today’s episode, Walter Sun, senior vice president and global head of artificial intelligence at SAP, joins Sam and Shervin to share how his organization is helping employees get smarter about artificial intelligence through the company’s AI Days. Additionally, Walter gives specific examples of support that AI agents could provide to an end user, and makes the case that small language models (fine-tuned large language models) can be built to assist in decision-making. Read the episode transcript here. Guest bio: Walter Sun is senior vice president and global head of artificial intelligence at SAP, where his team applies AI across applications for improved automation, natural human-machine interaction, and augmentation of decisions. Sun joined SAP in 2023 from Microsoft, where he was vice president of Copilot Applied Artificial Intelligence. While there he founded Bing Predicts, which leveraged anonymized and aggregated data for predictive analytics. He also delivered many AI features for the Bing search engine, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform. Previously, Sun worked at BlackRock Financial Management and at Apple as a senior software engineer. Sun has taught at Seattle University and the University of Washington, and he is currently an advisory board member at Georgia Tech and the University of Rochester, and an MIT Tech Review Global Insights panelist. He obtained his bachelor’s from Georgia Tech and his Ph.D. and master’s from MIT. Me, Myself, and AI is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the executive producer is Allison Ryder. Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders or by following Me, Myself, and AI on LinkedIn. We encourage you to rate and review our show. Your comments may be used in Me, Myself, and AI materials.

Ever wondered how some organizations manage to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into a genuine engine for growth, while others struggle to move beyond the pilot phase? Me, Myself, and AI, a production from MIT Sloan Management Review, goes straight to the source to find out. Instead of theoretical discussions, this podcast features candid conversations with the people who are actually building and implementing AI systems at scale. You'll hear directly from leaders at prominent companies like YouTube, Cisco, and Hugging Face as they recount their journeys-not just the polished successes, but the real-world challenges, strategic decisions, and sometimes surprising lessons learned along the way. Each episode digs into the practicalities of creating measurable business value, cutting through the noise to reveal what effective AI leadership and integration truly look like. It’s a focused exploration for anyone in technology, business, or education who wants to understand the human and operational stories behind the algorithms. Tune in for an unvarnished look at the future being built, one practical application at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Me, Myself, and AI
Podcast Episodes
Never Fight a Megatrend: Cisco’s Jeetu Patel [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:57
Cisco is well known for its data, networking, security, and collaboration products. On today’s episode, Cisco’s president and chief product officer, Jeetu Patel, joins Sam for a discussion about artificial intelligence,…
Protection, Provenance, and Prompts: YouTube’s Angela Nakalembe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:46
A chemical engineer by training, Angela Nakalembe worked in the sciences and management consulting before landing at YouTube as the company’s engineering program manager for trust and safety. At YouTube, Angela explains,…
Feed Drop: MIT CSAIL Alliances Podcast [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:38
Today’s episode is a bonus drop from our friends over at the MIT CSAIL Alliances podcast. We'll be back on September 16 with new episodes of Me, Myself, and AI. Chris Miller is professor of international history at Tufts…
Training AI to Detect Disease: Stand Up To Cancer’s Julian Adams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:40
Julian Adams tried but didn’t succeed at retirement after a productive career as a medical chemist with several U.S. Food and Drug Association approvals of cancer-related treatments, including cell therapy for bone marro…
Delivering More Connected Care Through AI: CVS Health's Josh Weiner [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:22
Josh Weiner, senior vice president of consumer engagement and analytics at CVS Health, is passionate about making health care more personalized, connected, preventative, and accessible. On today’s episode, Josh joins Sam…
Upcycling and Upskilling With AI: Goodwill's Steve Preston [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:37
Many of us know Goodwill Industries International as a retailer that accepts and resells donated goods. What the average consumer may not know is that the nonprofit takes in over 5 billion pounds of goods each year — and…
Overcoming AI Hallucinations: Truist’s Chandra Kapireddy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:39
In today’s episode, Chandra Kapireddy, head of generative AI, machine learning, and analytics at Truist, delves into the evolving landscape of AI with a particular focus on how GenAI tools reshape the way Truist and simi…
Speed, Ease, and Expertise With AI: Lenovo’s Linda Yao [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:59
Linda Yao, chief operating officer and head of strategy for Lenovo’s Strategy, Solutions, and Services Group and vice president of hybrid cloud and AI solutions, joins us to explain the organization’s transition from tec…