SAS Doubles Down on Pragmatic AI at Innovate 2025

AI That Works—Not Just Wows

At SAS Innovate 2025, the analytics powerhouse emphasized that AI needs to move beyond hype to deliver measurable value in real-world enterprise settings. The company introduced updates to its Viya platform, a comprehensive AI and analytics environment, now optimized for deeper integration with Microsoft Azure. This collaboration promises to simplify data workflows and speed up decision cycles by bringing AI tools closer to where organizations already manage their operations. SAS also spotlighted customers like Lufthansa and HSBC, who are using Viya to solve concrete business problems—from predictive maintenance in aviation to risk modeling in banking. The message: AI needs to be as responsible as it is revolutionary.

A New Era of Responsible AI

A major theme of the event was building trust in AI. SAS rolled out enhancements to its governance framework, helping organizations navigate the ethical and regulatory complexities of deploying artificial intelligence at scale. The company highlighted tools that bring transparency to model decisions, explainability to outcomes, and accountability through audit trails and bias monitoring. With an eye on upcoming global regulations, SAS aims to give enterprises the confidence to innovate without exposing themselves to reputational or legal risks. The takeaway? In a world of generative hype, responsible AI is positioning itself as the real market differentiator.