More than half of German companies are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into their business activities. This is the result of a recent survey conducted by the digital association Bitkom, in which 602 companies took part. According to the survey, 20 percent of respondents are currently actively using AI. In the previous year, this figure was only 15 percent. Around 37% of companies are currently planning to implement AI in the near future. Around 78 percent of companies primarily see opportunities in AI applications.

The use of AI solutions does not immediately reduce costs for companies. This only happens over time in the form of increased productivity. This is because investments are required first. However, the majority of companies are still hesitant to do so. The reason for this is the continuing legal uncertainty.

According to a survey by Wakefield Research, in which more than 1,500 managers from seven countries were questioned, including 250 from Germany, 87 percent of managers in Germany consider AI investments to be crucial in order to remain competitive. Two thirds of companies plan to increase their spending on AI in the next twelve months. According to the respondents, the use of AI is particularly beneficial in areas such as operational efficiency and data analysis. Almost half of German managers in the transport and logistics sector state that they are already using AI technologies.

The survey also revealed that predictive maintenance (51%), driver assistance systems (49%) and safety solutions (49%) are the most common use cases. By using such technologies, companies can not only improve their processes, but also reduce the risk of accidents and breakdowns.

The use of AI also poses a number of challenges that need to be taken into account when implementing AI technologies. One major obstacle is the quality and availability of the required data. 41 percent of the companies surveyed stated that data quality plays a decisive role in the successful use of AI.