Generative AI: caution and untapped potential at Swiss companies
Low investment, limited expertise, and few concrete applications: Swiss companies are approaching the topic of generative artificial intelligence with caution. Companies in Europe and the U.S. are much further along in integrating this technology. This is shown by Deloitte’s study, «State of Generative AI in the Enterprise.».
The majority of people now use generative artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify tasks. However, companies need more time to integrate the technology into their processes. The latest edition of Deloitte's AI study shows that the introduction is taking longer than initially expected. The euphoria expressed in earlier surveys has given way to a "healthy realism", as Deloitte writes.
In an international comparison, Swiss companies are particularly cautious in their assessment of developments. Half of the management board members surveyed expect that fundamental changes in their industry as a result of generative AI will take between one and three years. Just under a third (30%) even expect it to take more than three years. Only 8 percent assume that generative AI has already transformed the market environment. In the USA, on the other hand, 22% are of this opinion.
Switzerland brings up the rear
US companies are also pushing ahead with AI integration faster than Swiss companies: Almost half (45%) have already prepared their technical infrastructure well or very well for the introduction. In Switzerland, this is only the case for just under a third (32%). European companies are even further ahead. They are clearly ahead of the USA and Switzerland when it comes to preparing their strategy, developing employees' skills and managing data.
"Swiss companies are still reluctant to introduce generative AI. We also observe this in our work with customers. However, we are already seeing a promising use of generative AI in IT and marketing," says Marc Beierschoder, Head of AI & Data at Deloitte Switzerland. As the survey highlights, projects in the areas of IT and cyber security as well as marketing, sales and customer service are the most advanced. In contrast, most companies are only in the evaluation phase when it comes to AI tools for the legal department or HR and finance.
Low investment and little expertise
The survey provides a number of explanations for why Switzerland is lagging behind other countries. Firstly, Swiss companies invest relatively little in generative AI: half of those surveyed do not even allocate 20 percent of their total AI budget to the technology. Investments are significantly higher in the USA and Europe. Secondly, Swiss companies lack specialist knowledge. Almost a quarter (24%) of companies admit that they have little expertise in dealing with the technology. In Europe, this is only the case for 13 percent and in the USA for 7 percent.
Management interest in generative AI in Switzerland is also rather low. The majority of respondents agree that the topic needs to be given more attention internally.
Pressure on Swiss companies is growing
The lack of skills and specialists is therefore also one of the three biggest hurdles for Swiss companies when integrating technology, alongside managing risks and the complex legal requirements. In an international comparison, it is also noticeable that Swiss companies observe stronger cultural resistance among employees.
"In order to make broad use of the technology's huge potential, we need to overcome internal resistance and invest more. Time is of the essence, as the pressure on companies is increasing," Beierschoder notes. Compared to the survey a year ago, almost twice as many Swiss companies feel a strong need for action internally when it comes to the introduction of generative AI tools: while only 18% did so in the previous year, this figure has now risen to 34%.
The pressure from external sources, such as competitors or shareholders, is even higher. Within a year, this figure has risen significantly - from 18% to 46%.
The Study "State of Generative AI in the Enterprise" used quarterly surveys to investigate the status of the use of generative AI in companies. In the fourth wave of the survey, which was conducted between July and September 2024, Deloitte interviewed 2,773 AI-experienced management board members in 14 countries, including 50 from companies in Switzerland.
