The use of artificial intelligence in companies has quadrupled

Geneative AI has proven itself across industries and company departments and is changing processes and business models. This is the result of a new study by Capgemini Research Institute, Harnessing the Value of Generative AI 2: Use Cases Across Sectors2
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The study shows that the use of generative AI has increased significantly across all companies and along the value chain. Internationally, nearly a quarter of companies now offer the technology in some or most locations or departments – up from six percent in 2023. In Germany, the figure has risen from three percent in 2023 to 16 percent today.

Companies that have embraced the technology early are already seeing success—from productivity gains in classic business processes to smarter customer experiences and increased sales. Last year, companies increased customer loyalty and satisfaction in areas where generative AI was already being used or piloted by an average of 6.7 percent globally.

AI-powered chatbots are evolving into multi-agent systems and accelerating value creation.

The majority of companies indicate that sales and innovation power can be increased with the help of generative AI (internationally: 74 percent of companies surveyed, in Germany: 66 percent). Given the disruptive developments in AI, generative AI will no longer only provide support, but will increasingly take on complex tasks, partly autonomously. This allows companies to make business processes more efficient and create added data value from AI investments.

This potential for value creation has given rise to multi-agent systems, a rapidly evolving technology with high innovation potential. According to the study, AI agents are highly trusted to perform certain tasks, such as creating business emails, writing code, or analyzing data. However, according to the research, executives recognize the need to maintain trust and maintain ethical transparency when developing and deploying AI.

Generative AI is increasingly being used across the value chain – especially through publicly available technology components.

The sharp increase in the use of generative AI over the past twelve months is not limited to specific business areas. On the one hand, because not only experts can now use the technology, and on the other hand, because consumers increasingly demand smart products and services. Recent technological developments mean that publicly available applications are now accessible to everyone. Internationally, only three percent of companies have banned the use of publicly available next-generation AI technologies in the workplace.

Almost all companies (97 percent) allow their employees to use generative AI at least partially. In Germany, 10 percent of companies prohibit their employees from using publicly available AI technologies, while 90 percent allow the use of generative AI at least partially. More than half of companies worldwide have issued specific guidelines for their employees regarding the use of generative AI, in Germany only 40 percent of companies do.

Given the rapid rise in adoption of generative AI, the study suggests that companies must act responsibly and transparently. Decisions made by multi-agent systems should be verifiable according to clear guidelines to ensure transparency and traceable responsibilities. In this way, the risks that companies may face in the future as a result of using publicly available technologies can be reduced.