/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/madsack/JL7IBBREU3VJSEGTDT7QKTAFR4.jpg "Artificial Intelligence in Germany: Few companies see the need for it")
Future technology on the back burner
There is hardly any artificial intelligence in Germany: two out of three companies don’t see it as superfluous
Munich. Artificial intelligence (AI), which is already only tender in Germany, is at risk of wiping out. “Many companies are currently forced to shift into crisis mode,” Achim Berg laments. He is the head of the German digital association Bitkom, which has just conducted a study on the use of artificial intelligence in the local economy. Their results surprised even digital experts negatively. “Only 9 percent use AI in their company,” says Berg, describing the key finding. A year ago it was 8 per cent. But even this small progress is now in danger of fading out. Only every fourth company plans with artificial intelligence, a year ago it was 30 percent. For nearly two out of three companies, future technology is no longer an issue.
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
Berg agrees with the concern. Technology is currently developing rapidly and making its way into more and more areas of the company, with German companies taking the lead as well. “We have a backlog in the app,” explains the Bitkom head. German companies also acknowledge this critically. In a representative survey, more than eight in ten see themselves as lagging behind in AI or fear they have already completely lost touch. On the other hand, they see US companies and competitors in China as by far the international leaders in the applications of artificial intelligence to operations management, in marketing or in purchasing and accounting.
Even the assessment of the German position has deteriorated compared to a previous study in 2021. Berg considers critical self-accusation largely justified, but globally values Chinese companies ahead of those based in the United States. He also sees Germany lagging behind, albeit not a hopeless cause.
Read more after the announcement
Read more after the announcement
Berg asserts that “the biggest obstacle is the lack of AI experts and legal uncertainty in handling data,” thus supporting corresponding lawsuits by companies. “For AI, data is like water for a swimmer,” the expert explains. Without analyzing the largest possible databases, the best artificial intelligence will be exhausted. However, the European Union is still debating the corresponding legal framework for AI, while companies in China and the United States have long used AI technology on a large scale.
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Those who save on innovations in crises come out as losers
“The know-how will be in Germany,” Berg asserts, referring to leading AI companies such as Celonis, which is now the most valuable German startup with a value of around €13 billion. German chat companies, whose AI handles customer inquiries or complaints independently, are also in demand internationally, while there are restrictions in Germany. Berg warns that anyone who saves on innovations in crises such as those brought about by inflation and energy prices will have a hard time getting out of it. Digitization has demonstrated this during the pandemic. Anyone who bets and invests in it is the winner now.
On the other hand, AI is now threatening to fall by the wayside in Germany. Only 6 percent of all companies surveyed said they would invest in artificial intelligence this year. Berg pleads with politicians to finally create legal certainty for AI applications in order to remove at least one of the two main obstacles. On the other hand, it will not be possible to eliminate the shortage of experts through training and immigration, he said.
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