EY Survey: AI Is Widely Used in Swiss Companies—But Scaling Is Lacking
According to the EY AI Survey 2026, 89 percent of Swiss companies use AI in their day-to-day operations. However, there is still a long way to go from sporadic use to company-wide transformation.
AI in Swiss Companies: Widespread Use, Incomplete Transformation
In Swiss companies, artificial intelligence has quickly evolved from a topic of the future to an integral part of everyday work. This is shown by the EY AI Survey 2026, for which 604 people from companies of various sizes and across different industries in Switzerland were surveyed. At the same time, the results make it clear that many organizations are still in the early stages when it comes to systematically scaling and strategically embedding AI.
89 percent of respondents say they use AI solutions in their day-to-day work. Integrated solutions such as Microsoft Copilot or Google Workspace with Gemini are particularly widespread, with 70 percent of respondents using them. 35 percent have corporate licenses for specialized applications such as ChatGPT Enterprise, and about one-third (33 percent) have already developed AI solutions based on various models within their own companies. 29 percent report that the use of external AI tools via personal accounts is permitted—for 8 percent, this is currently the only way to use AI in their daily work. Only 3 percent state that the use of AI is completely prohibited.
Between Pilot Project and Strategy: Maturity Levels Remain Mixed
55 percent of respondents report that their companies are already using targeted AI solutions or scaling them across multiple business units. Of these, 32 percent are using AI in specific areas, 14 percent are systematically scaling it, and 9 percent already view AI as an integral part of their business strategy that has transformed their business model. Another 31 percent are still in the pilot project or proof-of-concept phases. 14 percent have not yet launched any concrete AI initiatives.
«Many companies have successfully taken their first steps in using AI. The real challenge, however, lies in developing a scalable, company-wide transformation from individual use cases,» says Adrian Ott, Chief AI Officer at EY in Switzerland.
Data Sovereignty as a Key Success Factor
The survey sends a particularly clear message on the topic of data sovereignty. For 51 percent of respondents, it is business-critical that AI systems comply with Swiss or European data protection requirements and that data be processed within Switzerland or the EU. On average, respondents rate the importance of this requirement at 8.7 out of 10 points. Questions regarding data location, regulatory requirements, and control over data flows thus play a central role for many companies—especially in the context of international technology providers.
Mixed Effects on the Labor Market
The impact of AI on the workforce currently presents a mixed picture. 18 percent of respondents report that additional jobs have been created in connection with AI—for example, in the fields of data science or AI engineering. At the same time, 11 percent report that open positions in certain areas have not been filled, and 7 percent report direct job cuts as a result of AI automation. Another 18 percent expect a decline in headcount in the future.
What stands out is the high proportion—42 percent—who are unable to provide a clear assessment of the impacts. This suggests that many companies are still in an early phase of transformation, in which the specific effects on the workforce cannot yet be definitively assessed.
Data, Security, and Skilled Workers Are the Biggest Obstacles to AI in Swiss Companies
Twenty percent of respondents cite data quality and data silos as the biggest obstacle to AI adoption, followed by security and privacy concerns (19 percent) and a shortage of qualified professionals (18 percent). In contrast, a lack of use cases with clear business value (10 percent), budget constraints (9 percent), and regulatory uncertainties (6 percent) play a lesser role. The focus is not on a general willingness to use AI, but rather on its practical implementation within existing structures.
Pragmatic trust instead of uncritical enthusiasm
72 percent of respondents use AI primarily as a tool to support their day-to-day work—as a sounding board for ideas, to create initial drafts, or to structure content. 47 percent already trust the technology in select use cases, including when it comes to technical or factual questions. Forty percent consider AI-generated answers to be more reliable than manually researched information in certain situations—especially when under time pressure. By contrast, only 12 percent hold a fundamentally skeptical view.
«The results show that companies are increasingly using AI in a targeted and context-specific manner. It’s less about blind trust and more about a nuanced and pragmatic approach to the technology’s capabilities,» says Ott.
Clear Expectations for Switzerland as an AI Hub
Looking to the future, respondents expressed clear expectations regarding policy and business conditions. 58 percent cited the expansion of education and training programs in the field of AI as the most important measure. 56 percent advocate for the development of a sovereign Swiss AI infrastructure, such as cloud or computing capacities. 40 percent would like to see targeted support programs for SMEs in adopting AI, while a similar number view alignment with the EU AI Act as a key factor for legal certainty in international business. In contrast, 28 percent favor independent Swiss regulation.
For more information on the EY AI Survey 2026, visit https://www.ey.com/ch.
