As artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries worldwide, ELTRUN (The e-Business Research Center of the Athens University of Economics and Business), in collaboration with Dialectica, has conducted the largest global survey to date on the integration of AI into business operations.
The study was conducted under the guidance of George Doukidis, Professor of e-Business at the Department of Management Science and Technology in AUEB, and the PhD Candidate of the department, Timoleon Farmakis.
Covering over 1,300 companies across Europe (with a turnover of more than half a billion dollars), and the U.S. (with revenues exceeding $100 million), the research reveals that while AI adoption in daily business activities remains relatively low, its trajectory signals transformative potential for the future.
Specifically, about 70 % of companies use applications and/or tools based on Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning, Digital Assistant) in the production process, and 54% of non-users show high interest.
At the same time, the survey highlights the low rate of utilization of artificial intelligence where only 20% of companies automate 5% of their operations. However, according to George Doukidis: “Their performance is expected to improve dramatically in the coming years, because it is predicted that by 2025 40% will automate more than 20% of their operations.“
The survey adopted an AI Maturity Index that was segmented into four levels, depending on the number of AI services/products a given company is utilizing. This classification showed that 1 in 2 companies are in the very early stages of AI exploitation.
In addition, regarding the achievement of the strategic goals of companies, the survey found that the motivation behind the adoption of AI is often related to the optimization of operations and cost reduction, but the main objective in a percentage of 90% is to increase productivity. Additionally, revenue growth, customer retention, and productivity efficiency have the greatest improvement as the maturity Index increases.
The increasing integration of AI is proving its strategic value in a variety of sectors, with businesses around the world continuing to invest in AI to remain competitive and innovate in an ever-changing business environment.
Below, you can find a snapshot of the key results, highlighting the trends and insights uncovered in our survey.
