Presented by Celonis
The promise of artificial intelligence is sweeping across industries, yet a significant gap persists between investment and tangible results. A growing number of enterprise leaders are facing pressure to demonstrate a clear return on investment (ROI) from their AI initiatives, particularly as autonomous agents become more prevalent and global supply chains grapple with ongoing disruptions.
The core issue isn’t the technology itself, but rather its application, according to Alex Rinke, co-founder and co-CEO of Celonis, a leader in process intelligence. “Successful enterprise AI requires a deep understanding of existing business processes – and a roadmap for their improvement,” Rinke explains. Without this contextual foundation, AI risks becoming, in his words, “just an internal social experiment,” failing to deliver meaningful value.
Next week’s Celosphere 2025 will directly address this challenge. The three-day event will showcase customer success stories, hands-on workshops, and live demonstrations of the latest enhancements to the Celonis Process Intelligence (PI) Platform, designed to help organizations harness ‘enterprise AI’ and achieve measurable business value at scale.
The AI ROI Impasse: Why Investments Aren’t Paying Off
The focus on demonstrable ROI at Celosphere reflects three critical hurdles facing organizations as they move AI initiatives from pilot projects to full-scale production: outdated legacy systems, the relentless pace of industry change, and the increasing complexity of agentic AI. Recent data from Gartner reveals that while 64% of board members now prioritize AI as a top-three strategic imperative, a mere 10% report realizing significant financial returns.
However, Celonis customers are demonstrating a different trajectory. A Forrester Total Economic Impact study found that organizations leveraging the Celonis platform achieved a remarkable 383% ROI over three years, with a payback period of just six months. One organization, for example, increased sales order automation from 33% to 86%, resulting in $24.5 million in savings. The study projected total benefits of $44.1 million over three years, driven by accelerated automation, reduced inefficiencies, and enhanced process visibility. This pattern highlights a clear correlation: companies that modernize their systems and align AI with process optimization are experiencing faster payback and sustained gains.
From Theory to Practice: Real-World AI Success Stories
Celosphere will feature presentations from global enterprises demonstrating how they are building “future-fit” operations. Mercedes-Benz Group AG and Vinmar Group will share insights into their AI-driven, composable solutions powered by Celonis PI. Attendees will also witness live demonstrations of the Celonis PI platform enabling AI agents in real-world production environments.
Among the compelling success stories:
- AstraZeneca leveraged Celonis as the foundation for an OpenAI partnership, successfully reducing excess inventory while ensuring the continuous flow of critical medicines.
- The State of Oklahoma is now able to answer procurement status inquiries at scale, unlocking over $10 million in value.
- Cosentino has accelerated the clearance of blocked sales orders by up to 5x using an AI-powered credit management assistant.
The Rising Stakes of Agentic AI and the Need for Orchestration
A significant portion of Celosphere will be dedicated to the orchestration of AI agents. The shift from AI as a supportive advisor to AI as an autonomous actor fundamentally changes the game, according to Rinke. “An AI agent needs to understand not just *what* to do, but *how* your specific business operates,” he emphasizes. “Process intelligence provides the necessary framework and ‘rails’ to guide its actions.”
This transition from recommendation to autonomous execution dramatically increases the potential risks. When agents can independently initiate purchase orders, reroute shipments, or approve exceptions, a lack of contextual understanding can lead to catastrophic outcomes at scale. Celosphere attendees will gain firsthand experience with how companies are utilizing the Celonis Orchestration Engine to coordinate AI agents alongside human employees and existing systems. Effective orchestration is paramount to preventing chaos, avoiding duplicated efforts, and ensuring that critical steps are not overlooked.
Navigating Global Volatility: AI in the Face of Disruption
Global trade volatility is no longer a distant headline; it’s a daily operational challenge reshaping AI deployment strategies, Rinke asserts. New tariffs trigger cascading effects across procurement, logistics, and compliance, potentially impacting thousands of stock-keeping units (SKUs) and necessitating new supplier contracts, rerouted shipments, and rebalanced inventories. Traditional AI systems, trained on static data, struggle to predict and adapt to such dynamic conditions. However, process intelligence provides organizations with real-time visibility into how these changes ripple through their operations.
Celosphere case studies will demonstrate how companies are transforming disruption into a competitive advantage. Smurfit Westrock is leveraging Celonis PI to optimize inventory and reduce costs amidst tariff uncertainty, while ASOS is utilizing the platform to enhance supply chain efficiency, reduce expenses, and maintain a superior customer experience.
Beyond Point Solutions: The Power of a Unified Platform
Rinke argues that Celonis’ strength lies in its holistic approach, treating process intelligence not as an add-on, but as the foundational layer of the enterprise technology stack. Unlike fragmented, point-solution optimization tools, the Celonis platform creates a living digital twin of business operations – a continuously updated model enriched with contextual data that enables AI to operate effectively from analysis to execution.
“What truly differentiates Celonis is its visibility across both systems and offline tasks, which is essential for achieving true intelligent automation,” Rinke states. “The platform offers a comprehensive suite of capabilities encompassing process analysis, design, and orchestration, rather than a limited point solution.”
“Free the Process” and the Future of Enterprise AI
Celonis continues to champion openness through its “Free the Process” movement, advocating for fair competition and liberating enterprises from the constraints of legacy lock-in. By providing organizations with full access to their process data, open APIs, and a growing partner ecosystem – including The Hackett Group, ClearOps, and Lobster – Celonis is building the connective tissue for a new era of interoperable automation.
For Rinke, this open foundation is the key to unlocking the full potential of AI. “Process intelligence creates a virtuous cycle,” he explains. “Improved understanding leads to better optimization, which in turn enables more effective AI – and that, ultimately, drives even greater understanding. There simply is no AI without PI.”
What challenges are *your* organization facing in realizing the ROI of your AI investments? And how are you preparing for the increasing autonomy of AI agents within your operations?
Frequently Asked Questions About AI ROI and Process Intelligence
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What is process intelligence and how does it impact AI ROI?
Process intelligence provides a comprehensive understanding of how work actually gets done within an organization. By mapping and analyzing processes, it provides the crucial context that AI needs to operate effectively and deliver measurable business value.
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How can Celosphere 2025 help my organization improve its AI ROI?
Celosphere 2025 offers a unique opportunity to learn from customer success stories, participate in hands-on workshops, and see live demonstrations of the Celonis PI Platform’s latest enhancements, all focused on maximizing the ROI of your AI investments.
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What are the key challenges hindering AI ROI in most organizations?
Common challenges include outdated legacy systems, the rapid pace of industry change, and the complexities of orchestrating agentic AI. Without a solid foundation of process understanding, AI initiatives often fail to deliver expected results.
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What is agentic AI and why is process intelligence critical for its success?
Agentic AI refers to AI systems that can act autonomously to achieve specific goals. Process intelligence is essential for providing these agents with the contextual understanding they need to make informed decisions and avoid unintended consequences.
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How does Celonis’ “Free the Process” movement benefit organizations?
The “Free the Process” movement promotes openness and interoperability, giving organizations full access to their process data and enabling them to build a more flexible and adaptable technology stack.
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