As artificial intelligence moves from a promising experiment to an enterprise necessity, the stakes grow higher by the day. The future of trusted AI now depends on how organizations rethink governance, scaling and sustainability. From data oversight to energy consumption, the conversation is shifting from “How can we use AI?” to “How can we use it wisely, securely, and efficiently?”

SAS Institute Inc. is among the companies leaning into this shift, blending its long-standing analytics expertise with a sharpened focus on responsible, enterprise-grade AI, according to theCUBE Research’s Scott Hebner. SAS’ next-generation AI and analytics platform sits at the heart of this strategy, providing the foundation for deploying integrated solutions across industries. At the same time, SAS is pioneering governance frameworks for AI agents and emphasizing the critical importance of data transparency, trust and operational oversight in an increasingly synthetic-data-driven world​.

“With the rise of agentic AI, the future isn’t just about more data or more models — it’s about systems that reason, act and drive outcomes,” Hebner said. “In today’s world, business value starts with trusted insights, and SAS is setting the pace.”

The SAS Innovate event, taking place on May 7, will bring together cross-industry thought leaders and tech visionaries to explore the future of AI, analytics and cloud partnerships. Join theCUBE for exclusive interviews and live coverage exploring trusted AI strategies, advances in automation and new paths to enterprise productivity. (* Disclosure below.)

Check out what’s in store for theCUBE’s coverage of SAS Innovate:

Building a trusted AI foundation through Viya and governance innovation

During the event, SAS is expected to spotlight Viya as a cornerstone for long-term AI deployment, showing how it has evolved from a traditional analytics platform into an orchestration engine for decision-making and trusted AI outcomes. Viya blends prompt augmentation, traditional models and integrated workflows to deliver more reliable, actionable AI systems. This orchestration capability has become essential as enterprises demand greater trust and performance from AI.

“As data volumes soar and trust gaps widen, SAS’ focus on accelerating the journey ‘from a billion points of data to a point of view’ has never been more critical,” Hebner noted. “At SAS Innovate 2025, I’m eager to see how they’re evolving Viya and their agentic AI capabilities to close the gap between insight and action.”

Alongside platform innovation, the event will likely emphasize its expanding governance frameworks to address the risks posed by synthetic data and increasingly autonomous AI agents​. As organizations navigate the transition toward synthetic datasets and agentic AI, the need for transparency, monitoring and rigorous data trust protocols is expected to take center stage.

“Synthetic data is here, and that’s good for businesses to be able to create better models, but it also introduces the risk of erroneous data or bad data because bad actors are out there,” Shadi Shahin, vice president of product strategy at SAS, recently told theCUBE. “Meaning that the data we have is the data we need to trust, and you need to apply rigor there to make sure you understand what you have at your disposal.”

Accelerating enterprise outcomes through strategic cloud alliances

The event is expected to build on SAS’ strategic cloud alliances, showcasing how partnerships with providers such as Amazon Web Services, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are accelerating enterprises’ ability to translate AI into faster insights and deeper customer engagement. Initiatives such as Customer 360, which delivers generative AI-powered client views across industries, reflect how SAS is extending its ecosystem approach to meet rising demands for real-time decision-making.

“SAS Innovate 2025 will showcase how agentic AI is moving from hype to hard business impact — and SAS is leading that charge with a pragmatic, platform-first approach,” Hebner said. “I’m excited to explore how companies can start small, scale fast and turn trusted decisions into competitive advantage.”

In addition, SAS’ focus on modernization strategies will likely highlight how enterprises are moving beyond “AI washing” to genuinely integrate AI into legacy systems​. Rather than scrapping entire infrastructures, this year’s SAS Innovate is expected to spotlight real-world use cases where AI models enhance existing workflows, drive efficiency and position companies for growth without major operational disruption. As companies integrate AI into legacy systems, SAS’ experience can give them a critical edge, according to Ray Wang, founder and principal analyst of Constellation Research Inc.

“What SAS has here, and what they’ve been showing, is really where models come into play, what you can do with the data,” he told theCUBE during SAS Innovate 2024. “These guys are steeped in this; we’re talking decades of experience.”

TheCUBE event livestream

Don’t miss theCUBE’s coverage of SAS Innovate on May 7. Plus, you can watch theCUBE’s event coverage on-demand after the live event.

How to watch theCUBE interviews

We offer you various ways to watch theCUBE’s coverage of SAS Innovate, including theCUBE’s dedicated website and YouTube channel. You can also get all the coverage from this year’s events on SiliconANGLE.

TheCUBE Insights podcast

SiliconANGLE also has podcasts available of archived interview sessions, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify, which you can enjoy while on the go.

SiliconANGLE also has analyst deep dives in our Breaking Analysis podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify.

Guests

During SAS Innovate, theCUBE analysts will talk with cross-industry thought leaders and tech innovators about trusted AI strategies, advances in automation and new paths to enterprise productivity as they explore the future of AI, analytics and cloud partnerships.

(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for SAS Innovate. Neither SAS Institute Inc., the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)

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