The study was produced by the consultancy companies Lünendonk & Hossenfelder and Ginkgo . According to the results, two-thirds of companies assume that AI will have a disruptive impact on their industry. And yet, there is a dedicated strategy or a standard definition of AI in only about a quarter of large companies. AI projects also tend to run in isolation from the core business. The technology is primarily regarded as a tool with which efficiency can be increased in production or product quality can be improved. What is overlooked here is the fact that artificial intelligence can also be an aid to decision making or an opportunity to open up new business areas.

Going forward, German companies see the biggest potential in the area of sales and customer service, followed by production and the supply chain. For around 70% of those surveyed, the challenge lies in ensuring the necessary data quality and availability in the first place. Moreover, the use of artificial intelligence is made more difficult by a shortage or complete absence of expertise among employees in the area of data science, a lack of strategy, data protection, and concerns among employees about losing their jobs.