A current PAC study surveying over 240 decision-makers in European companies with 1,000+ employees on their attitude towards AI applications has revealed that 71% of those surveyed plan to introduce such technologies or have already begun doing so. In particular, respondents expect significant advantages in automating processes to prevent human error (78%), speeding up business processes (73%), AI-based recommendations for actions and measures (72%), and reducing data entry and other manual activities (71%).

A majority (82%) considers legal aspect and internal company compliance guidelines to be the greatest difficulty in implementing artificial intelligence in internal software environments. Still, companies mainly rely on cooperation with third-party providers: 92% prefer collaborating with cloud providers to establishing their own server and software structures. The study, though, also reveals a significant north-south divide in the European business landscape: In Italy and Spain, only 17% consider introducing AI to be an important strategic step. By contrast, in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, 70% have already begun developing their own AI competencies, and 17% are pursuing a comprehensive strategy. While German politicians are still debating a "masterplan for artificial intelligence" , neighboring France is already much further along .