AI in companies

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term that has quickly evolved from a science fiction dream to a tangible reality. Today, it is difficult to imagine business without AI. In Germany alone, 35% of large companies already rely on this technology (source: destasis.de). If your large company is not yet one of them, it is high time to take a closer look!

Those who miss the leap into the AI age run the risk of gradually falling behind and thus jeopardising their competitiveness. So stay ahead of the curve and use AI to increase efficiency in your company in a targeted manner.

Before we dive deeper into the exciting world of artificial intelligence in business, let's answer the most pressing questions first – briefly, clearly and to the point.

• What is AI? Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the development of technologies that enable computers to mimic human thinking and decision-making.
• Who can benefit from using AI? The use of AI is relevant for companies of all sizes and in all industries, as AI offers potential for increasing efficiency and optimising processes – from industry and manufacturing to service providers, insurance companies and energy suppliers.
• What are the top areas of application for artificial intelligence in companies? AI can currently support almost any form of knowledge-based work, such as accounting, customer service, market research, engineering, knowledge management, autonomous control, quality control and software development.
• How can you tap into its full potential? The greatest potential of AI unfolds in companies when it is linked to data and workflows and made accessible to people in a user-friendly way.

Now we would like to take a closer look at these topics in more detail. Let's get started!

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a technology that enables computers to mimic human thought and decision-making processes. It is therefore not conventional software that has been programmed for predictable use cases. Instead, AI is capable of adapting flexibly to new information and circumstances.

In practice, this means that AI can learn independently from data, make decisions and solve complex problems. AI is thus creating groundbreaking opportunities in almost all areas of our society and economy.

Investing in artificial intelligence pays off for most companies because it makes many areas of work more efficient and provides clear competitive advantages. At present, it is mainly large companies that are venturing into AI, with 35% already using the technology (source: destasis.de). But small and medium-sized enterprises should not hesitate to take this important step either. After all, 12% of all companies in Germany already use AI in their everyday work – and for good reason (source: destasis.de)!

AI can bring real added value to companies in a wide range of applications, for example:

• Customer service
• Knowledge management
• Autonomous control
• Quality control
• and much more

Even if the current advantages that AI offers companies, for example through chat interfaces, still seem modest, there are major risks associated with delaying this innovative step. Companies that fail to introduce AI in good time run the risk of their employees and existing infrastructure falling behind. This could mean that important applications cannot be implemented quickly enough, which could significantly impair competitiveness in the long term.

Companies that invest early in training and the appropriate infrastructure, on the other hand, gain a strategic advantage and can test what works and what does not in practice.

The use of AI is particularly interesting for companies in the following industries:

• Automotive industry
• Chemical industry
• Mechanical engineering
• Electronics and electrical equipment manufacturers
• Manufacturers of consumer goods (food, health, chemical agents, etc.)
• Insurance
• Manufacturers of consumer goods
• Energy companies (network operators, energy producers, etc.)

Now that we have given you a brief taste of the exciting possibilities of AI in business, we would like to go into a little more detail. Below, we present more specific AI use cases that show how AI can be used in practice.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to take customer service to a new level by using large language models (LLM) to support service teams and technical hotlines:

• to answer customer enquiries
• for internal help desks
• for speech recognition and generation

LLM systems enable internal analyses to be linked to external sources such as survey data, search queries and trend analyses. This allows companies to better understand, segment and target their user groups. At the same time, trends can be identified more quickly, which facilitates the development of more tailored sales and communication strategies.

AI systems also enable manufacturers and third-party providers to make predictions based on user preferences and desires. With the help of machine learning, they can respond better to the needs of their users, for example through personalised point of interest lists tailored to user preferences.

An outstanding example of the added value of artificial intelligence in companies is its use in the field of document updating, analysis and verification.

The use of AI tools significantly accelerates the entire development process.

AI ensures greater efficiency even in the early stages of software development, such as requirements analysis and specification creation. Later tasks, such as planning project steps and creating user stories, can also be completed more quickly and accurately with AI tools.

Writing with code and AI-supported assistants, known as co-pilots, makes work considerably easier. Software testing and the setup of automated processes, such as CI/CD pipelines, also benefit from the advantages of AI. Overall, AI makes software development faster, more efficient and less prone to errors.

This exciting field, where digital images and the representation of bodies and shapes come together, opens up completely new possibilities for creating images and 3D models.

With the help of AI technologies such as neural networks, deep learning, computer vision, morphing, digital mash-ups and synthetic image generation, the shapes and features of objects can be flexibly modified, combined or completely redesigned. Possible applications include product and fashion design and, in the future, healthcare, for example to depict physical changes after medical procedures or to simulate operations.

AI systems make machines and systems ‘smarter’ and more autonomous. They do this in the following ways:

• They process large amounts of sensor data in real time to detect and interpret the environment.
• They access existing data and parameters to make independent decisions about controlling vehicles or machines.

Thanks to machine learning, they respond better and better to specific situations and begin to adapt to new circumstances.These capabilities also enable machines to be controlled according to demand, so that they only run when they are actually needed.

Energy-intensive systems in particular can be optimised in a targeted manner and their consumption reduced, enabling companies to make significant savings in resources and energy costs. This technology is used in production, autonomous driving and logistics.

And if you would like to discover more exciting examples of artificial intelligence in business, take a look at these 33 additional use cases:

The greatest opportunities AI offers businesses clearly lie in the automation of complex tasks. Companies that use AI correctly not only increase their efficiency, but also secure a decisive competitive advantage. But how do you use AI correctly in a business?

It's simple: the true added value of AI in a company only becomes apparent when AI is intelligently combined with data, workflows and – very importantly – the people in the company. Let's take a closer look:

Data is the foundation of successful AI deployment. The quality of the results depends directly on the quality of the data fed into the system – according to the principle: ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’

Let's illustrate this briefly with an example: Imagine you have to prepare a quote for a customer. To do this, you need precise information: What are the requirements? What similar projects have there been in the past? What skills does your team have? However, this data is spread across different systems.

You should change this quickly. Only when AI has access to all this information can real added value be created—in the form of a tailor-made quote based on all the relevant details.

Every company has countless work steps that build on each other. What happens in step one is processed in step two, and so on. For AI to be truly useful, it must understand and support these processes.

Only then can it transfer information from one process step to the next, thereby increasing efficiency. This saves time, reduces stress and ultimately delivers better results.

No matter how sophisticated AI may be, nothing works without employees. They know the internal processes best and should therefore be actively involved in the use of AI. Only when people in the company are given the space to experiment with artificial intelligence do the really exciting and valuable use cases emerge. The key point is that the ideas that arise are tailor-made and work exactly where they are needed.

Introducing AI into your business will not be easy, quick or without challenges, but as the saying goes, Rome wasn't built in a day. With this in mind, let's take a brief look at the most important hurdles and challenges involved in implementing and using AI.

Although artificial intelligence (AI) offers enormous potential for companies, there are still a number of hurdles to overcome, particularly in Germany and the EU. One major issue is the sometimes unclear regulations and laws, such as the EU AI Act, which came into force on 1 August 2024.

Added to this are concerns about data protection and privacy. Many companies fear that their data could fall into the wrong hands through the use of AI. This poses a particular challenge for companies that work with sensitive customer data.

However, these concerns can now be addressed effectively: AI can be used in a secure manner that complies with data protection regulations. Companies have numerous options, from using the public cloud to implementing AI in their own data centres or on local hardware. This allows every company to tailor security requirements precisely to its needs while benefiting from the advantages of AI.

When introducing artificial intelligence into companies, the issue of ethics must not be ignored. The following points in particular should not be overlooked:

• Accessibility and barrier-free access: AI should be designed in such a way that it is accessible to all people, regardless of physical or mental limitations.
• Well-being: AI should not only make working life more efficient, but also contribute to the general well-being of employees, promote their health and support their personal development.
• Inclusion: The use of artificial intelligence in companies must not exclude or disadvantage anyone. Regardless of origin, gender, sexual orientation or religion, everyone should have the same opportunities for development and participation.
• Responsibility: Furthermore, AI must be used responsibly and sustainably in companies. This means keeping energy consumption as low as possible and relying on resource-efficient technologies in order to achieve positive, long-term effects.

AI should contribute to the well-being of all, not only today but also in the future.

MaibornWolff stands for radical customer focus – especially in the field of artificial intelligence.

It is important to us to meet you exactly where you are. This may mean that you have no prior knowledge or infrastructure for using AI in your company. However, it may also be that you have already taken the first steps and now want to develop specific use cases.

We support you where you need it – at all levels. From training and education to initial consultations and concrete implementation, our teams think through the challenges from start to finish and accompany the projects every step of the way.

We place great importance on not selling unnecessary solutions. We only recommend what you really need – that's a promise!

The rapid development of artificial intelligence is constantly opening up new possibilities, but also makes it difficult to accurately predict the next steps. Nevertheless, some exciting trends are emerging on the technical side.

Particularly noteworthy is the continued growth of available AI models, whose number and capabilities are steadily increasing. Even smaller models offered under open source licences are now on a par with commercial solutions – or even surpass them.

As a result, AI technology is becoming increasingly accessible. It is becoming increasingly commoditised, which means that no single provider has a knowledge advantage that it can exploit on its own. This democratisation of AI ensures that models are available for a wide variety of applications.

In addition, many of these models are now so efficient that they can even be used on conventional hardware such as current laptops or mobile devices. This not only makes AI more flexible, but also accessible to companies of all sizes, further increasing the possibilities for innovative applications.

So there will soon be no more excuses for not embracing the AI trend – the time to benefit from this technology is now!