Building AI expertise: Four out of five companies have no plan
The majority of German companies lack skills in dealing with artificial intelligence. Sometimes they also lack a plan to change this.
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79% of German companies lack the skills to deal with artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, 86 percent of companies are not yet exploiting the possibilities of AI, or only to a limited extent. This is the result of a study by the Stifterverband fĂĽr die Deutsche Wissenschaft and the consulting firm McKinsey. At the same time, companies lack appropriate strategies for further training in dealing with AI.
One in three companies does not use AI
More than a third of the managers surveyed stated that the possibilities of artificial intelligence have not yet been used in their company. A further third has only used ten percent of the functional scope of AI to date. Around one in twenty companies is exploiting more than 50 percent of the potential of AI. Although only 21% of decision-makers believe that their employees have sufficient AI skills, just under a third state that there is no lack of skills in the workforce for the practical application of AI.
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At 40 percent, employees in German companies are most likely to lack practical skills in the automation of work processes. Just under a third of respondents criticized the choice of AI models and applications among employees. Around 29 percent criticize a lack of knowledge in the development of AI models, and a quarter each in data-driven decision-making and action. Only 21% of respondents see problems in the workforce when it comes to prompting and content creation.
Companies lack an AI strategy
The majority of German companies do not yet have a strategy for developing skills in dealing with artificial intelligence. Only a quarter of respondents state that they have defined a clear approach. 54 percent of managers note that their companies invest too little in AI training. They justify this with the low use of AI, budget bottlenecks and uncertainties regarding the required qualifications. Likewise, more than half of the companies do not provide their employees with any learning opportunities for AI.
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At the same time, two thirds of respondents state that employees have no interest in acquiring AI skills. Some perceive AI as extra work and a stress factor. The authors of the study recommend that managers act as role models and promote a learning culture. In addition to learning platforms and AI playgrounds to try out, the informal exchange of knowledge within companies is also helpful, they say. The researchers are also in favor of cooperation between companies and universities. However, 82 percent of those surveyed criticized the fact that universities do not prepare students well for a working world shaped by AI.
For the study, the authors surveyed more than 1,000 managers from German companies of various sizes. They also conducted interviews with 16 decision-makers in companies and eight HR managers from German universities. Sofiane Fessi also explains strategies for introducing AI in companies in an interview.
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