Mark Karelov reveals why 42% of ERP consultants will pivot roles by 2025 – and easy methods to future-proof your experience
Within the final three months (April–June 2025), the three largest distributors—SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft—have launched AI modules with autonomous decision-making capabilities for ERP techniques. In line with McKinsey, this has decreased monetary reporting cycles by 40%, however with an sudden aspect impact: demand for IT auditors has surged by 210%. Why are 73% of corporations delaying full adoption of autonomous techniques? And what new expertise are actually required even for accountants? Mark Karelov, a number one digital transformation professional, breaks it down.
Mark Karelov – enterprise architect and staff lead with 20 years of expertise implementing ERP options. Has progressed from enterprise analyst to international automation program lead, personally overseeing the transition of 15+ enterprises’ enterprise to fashionable ERP techniques.
Mark Karelov is a member of The Ventures Affiliation (the-ventures.com), a global community of expertise and enterprise leaders driving innovation in enterprise options. In 2025, he was additionally awarded for his management in Ukrainian entrepreneurship.
“Today’s AI doesn’t replace consultants – it replaces those who merely translate requirements into IT systems. Our task is mastering symbiotic collaboration.” – A central thesis of his keynote deal with.
In 2024-2025, AI assistants (Copilot, ChatGPT) started changing the routine duties of ERP consultants. Which capabilities have they already automated? Might you share examples out of your apply?
Over the previous two years, AI assistants like Copilot and ChatGPT have considerably reworked the way in which ERP consultants work. In my apply, I’ve seen these instruments automate roughly 40% of routine duties – issues like producing enterprise requirement paperwork, mapping knowledge fields, and even configuring fundamental workflows in fashionable ERP techniques like D365FO or SAP. One putting instance: a shopper’s ChatGPT integration decreased the time wanted to customise ERP roles from two days to beneath three hours.
In your opinion, what proportion of conventional ERP consultants’ work may disappear by 2030? Which roles are most in danger (implementers, analysts, builders)?
However let’s be clear – AI isn’t changing consultants wholesale. By 2030, I estimate that about 25-30% of conventional ERP jobs could disappear, particularly for roles centered on repetitive configurations or documentation. Junior analysts and technical writers are most weak. Nonetheless, the market is already creating new alternatives – AI governance specialists, hybrid system designers, and consultants who can bridge the hole between AI outputs and actual enterprise wants are in excessive demand.
How are American corporations reacting to this development? For instance, have they decreased hiring consultants for Dynamics 365/SAP after Copilot’s launch?
Within the U.S., corporations aren’t essentially hiring fewer consultants- they’re simply shifting what they want. After Copilot’s launch, many companies reduce on junior implementers however began paying premium charges for specialists who might validate AI-generated configurations and guarantee compliance. Microsoft’s newest knowledge reveals that almost half of all Dynamics 365 offers now embrace AI governance clauses, which implies consultants with experience in auditing AI outputs are thriving.
What would you advise ERP specialists to do to remain related? Which expertise ought to they prioritize?
For ERP professionals seeking to keep related, the secret’s adapting. Studying easy methods to successfully immediate AI for advanced ERP duties, like changing GAAP guidelines into ERP, is turning into important. Past that, expertise like course of mining, change administration, and the power to troubleshoot AI-generated errors will set you aside.
Can AI in ERP hurt companies? As an illustration, if it make errors in configuring the monetary module?
That mentioned, AI in ERP isn’t with out dangers. I’ve seen how an unchecked AI can misconfigure monetary postings, resulting in pricey errors. One European retailer misplaced weeks of audit time as a result of an AI misclassifying stock. That’s why many groups use a strict validation framework; each AI-generated configuration goes by means of sandbox testing, human overview, and compliance checks earlier than going dwell.
The way forward for ERP consulting isn’t about competing with AI – it’s about leveraging it whereas sustaining human oversight the place it issues most. The most effective consultants might be those that can mix technical experience with strategic pondering, guaranteeing AI serves the enterprise reasonably than the opposite method round.
