Companies are increasingly focussing on generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), driven by rising investment and the many benefits of the technology. Generative AI has established itself across industries and in various corporate departments, transforming processes and business models. This is the conclusion of the new study by the Capgemini Research Institute, ‘Harnessing the Value of Generative AI 2nd Edition: Use Cases Across Sectors’.
Almost one in five companies in Germany uses Gen AI
The study shows that the use of generative AI has increased significantly in all companies and along the value chain. Internationally, almost a quarter of companies are currently implementing the technology at some or most sites or departments - an increase from 6% in 2023. In Germany, the figure has risen from 3% in 2023 to 16% today.
Companies that embraced technology early on are already seeing successes - from productivity gains in traditional business processes to an intelligent customer experience and revenue growth. In areas where generative AI has already been used or piloted, companies were able to increase customer loyalty and satisfaction internationally by an average of 6.7% last year.
‘Generative AI is about to change companies. Overestimated in the short term and underestimated in the long term, the focus this year is on value creation. Some companies are already seeing increases in profitability and turnover, while others are experiencing a surge in digitalisation and innovation. In Germany in particular, there is considerable potential to be realised in the coming years,’ explains Daniela Rittmeier, Head of the Data & AI Centre of Excellence at Capgemini. ‘Increasing investment is being channelled into industry- and context-specific, multimodal AI systems. This marks the beginning of a new era of human-machine interaction, which will fundamentally change both working methods and communication. As AI experts are already no longer able to decide whether the content was generated by a human or a machine, the focus must always be on the trustworthy, human-centred use of AI.’
AI helps to increase turnover and innovative strength
The majority of companies state that generative AI can be used to increase turnover and innovative strength (internationally: 74% of companies surveyed, in Germany: 66%). Due to disruptive AI developments, generative AI will no longer just provide support, but will also increasingly take on complex tasks partially autonomously. This enables companies to organise business processes more efficiently and derive added data value from AI investments.
This value creation potential has contributed to the emergence of multi-agent systems, a rapidly developing technology with high innovation potential. According to the study, AI agents enjoy a high level of trust when it comes to performing certain tasks, such as composing business emails, writing code or analysing data. However, according to the study, managers are aware that existing trust must be maintained and ethical transparency upheld when developing and using AI.
Companies are benefiting from Gen AI across the board
The sharp rise in the use of generative AI over the past twelve months is not limited to certain business areas. On the one hand, because not only experts can now use the technology and, on the other, because consumers are increasingly demanding intelligent products and services. The latest technological developments mean that anyone can access publicly available applications. Internationally, only three per cent of companies have banned the use of publicly available Gen AI technologies in the workplace. Almost all companies (97%) allow their employees to use generative AI at least partially. In Germany, 10% of companies prohibit their employees from using publicly available Gen AI technologies, while 90% allow the use of generative AI at least partially. Internationally, more than half of companies have issued special guidelines for their employees on the use of generative AI; in Germany, this only applies to 40% of companies.
In view of the rapidly increasing spread of generative AI, the study points out that companies should proceed responsibly and transparently. It must be possible to validate decisions made by multi-agent systems on the basis of clear guidelines in order to ensure transparency and traceable responsibilities. This will minimise the risks for companies that may arise in the future through the use of publicly available technologies.
The full study is available to download free of charge.
