Across our EBG | Xperience workshops and surveys, one pattern is clear: procurement leaders across the Nordics are fascinated by AI and GenAI. However, they are not yet transformed by it.
In Copenhagen, participants mapped AI and GenAI use cases against value and complexity.
The results showed:
– Compliance and PO creation as high-value, low-complexity wins.
– Supplier performance and dispute management as valuable, but high-complexity, blocked by data and system fragmentation.
– Few cases landed in “low value,” showing a clear hunger for meaningful transformation — not just small automations.
The Xperience 2025 report and pre-summit survey echo the same message. Over 80% of Nordic procurement teams still call themselves “developing” in digital maturity, with almost no one claiming to be leading. Leaders agree AI should take over routine tasks. This would enable humans to focus on strategy. Yet data quality, governance, and system silos remain the primary barriers.
Why CPO Outlook 2025 Dedicates So Much Space to AI & GenAI
This October in Stockholm, AI and GenAI aren’t a side topic — they’re woven throughout:
- Keynotes: Lars J Andersson (Carve) explores what procurement could look like if designed from scratch with GenAI. Vicky Kavan (Hackett) shares data on capability gaps and operating model shifts. Suzana Dakulic at Google Workspace brings leadership reflections on how AI changes work and decision-making.
- Theme Discussions: From “Agentic AI-Driven Procurement” (Zycus), to “Fact or Fiction?” (GEP), to category management, supplier performance, and autonomous spend management with Coupa, JAGGAER, SAP, Kodiak Hub and more.
- Workshops: Together we will explore how to move “from chaos to clarity” in indirect procurement. We will also look at how GenAI could support decision-making, not just efficiency.
The Deeper Question
But here’s the real reflection: are we simply trying to do the same things, only more efficiently? For 15 years (since the start of EBG), procurement has been tasked with becoming more strategic, more digital, more sustainable. Yet maturity remains low, and functions are still struggling with mandate, visibility, and silos.
If doing the same, faster, hasn’t worked — what needs to change?
- What should procurement really do? (not everything, but the right things)
- Who should do it? (what belongs to procurement vs. the business vs. technology)
- Why should we do it? (to create enterprise value, not just functional KPIs)
That is the narrative we want to challenge at CPO Outlook 2025. We aim to move beyond incremental efficiency gains. We will ask what procurement could become in a GenAI-enabled world.
Join the Conversation
CPO Outlook 2025, October 15–16 in Stockholm, is where these questions will be unpacked through 40+ interactive touchpoints: keynotes, roundtables, workshops, and panels — all built around real cases and candid discussions.
Seats are limited. Learn more: cpooutlook.com