Inside Coupa's Own AI Transformation With CDO Todd Joseph

Why It Matters

Coupa shows that embedding AI through people‑centric change management, not just tools, can rapidly boost productivity and customer experience—insights other enterprises can replicate.

Key Takeaways

• AI literacy training drives 60% daily employee platform usage.
• New operating model reduces manual tasks, boosting productivity.
• AI assistants streamline sales and customer support workflows.
• Change management relies on grassroots champion networks, not tech alone.
• Executive support essential; top‑down vision accelerates companywide adoption.

Summary

Coupa’s chief digital officer Todd Joseph outlined the company’s internal AI transformation, emphasizing a people‑first approach rather than a pure technology rollout. The initiative is organized around three pillars: building AI literacy for individual contributors, redesigning workflows to embed generative tools, and defining new skill sets for a future‑ready workforce.

To operationalize this, Coupa launched a company‑wide AI platform with training, Slack‑based communities, and pre‑work on prompting and connector usage. Within the first month, 60% of employees logged in daily, creating personal assistants that curate calendars, generate executive briefs, and power a “sales buddy” for account executives. Customer‑support agents now use an AI chat solution that cuts manual data gathering, delivering faster, richer interactions.

Joseph highlighted concrete outcomes: sales teams reclaimed 30‑40% of time previously spent on data assembly, and support teams achieved higher satisfaction through quicker, more comprehensive responses. He credited CEO Lee’s visible endorsement and a grassroots champion network for sustaining momentum, noting that the AI brain continuously learns from every employee interaction.

The broader implication is clear: large enterprises must treat AI adoption as a cultural transformation, embedding change agents across functions and aligning leadership messaging. Coupa’s early‑innings success demonstrates that when people, process, and technology are synchronized, AI can unlock measurable productivity gains and set a template for peers navigating similar journeys.

Original Description

How is Coupa using AI internally — and what is it teaching them about transforming any large organization? At Coupa Inspire 2026, Coupa Chief Digital Officer Todd Joseph sits down with Colleen Coll for a candid look at the company's own AI native journey. Todd walks through Coupa's three-layer model of individual productivity, workflow transformation and reskilling, how more than 60% of employees log into the internal AI platform daily, and how new agents like Sales Buddy and an agentic customer support solution are giving teams their time back. Plus: the rise of the "Coupa Brain," why AI transformation is a people change first, and the champion network model Todd recommends to any CDO leading the same shift.

In this conversation, Todd and Colleen cover:

• Coupa's three-layer model for AI transformation — individual, workflow, workforce

• Why more than 60% of Coupa employees log into the internal AI platform daily

• Sales Buddy and agentic customer support — real productivity gains in the field

• The rise of the 'Coupa Brain' as a collective company knowledge layer

• Why AI transformation is a people change first, technology second

• Building a champion network across every function to drive grassroots adoption

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome from Coupa Inspire 2026

00:25 Sitting at the intersection of tech, ops and culture

01:00 Three layers — individual, workflow, workforce

02:00 Selling AI internally — change management at Coupa

03:00 60% daily active employees on the AI platform

04:15 Sales Buddy and agentic customer support

05:30 Introducing the Coupa Brain

06:30 Advice to other CDOs — people change, not tech change

07:30 Grading Coupa's AI transformation

Guest: Todd Joseph, Chief Digital Officer, Coupa — https://www.coupa.com

Host: Colleen Coll, TechStrong Group

Recorded live at Coupa Inspire 2026 in Las Vegas.

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