BrazilMajority of European companies now have dedicated AI leads or teams
With AI tools becoming an imperative in many industries, over 6 in 10 European companies report now having either an AI team or a dedicated AI lead in place.
With 64% of surveyed Dutch companies saying they have an AI lead or team in place, the Netherlands is ahead of other countries like Germany (38%), Sweden (43%) and Poland (50%). The AI tools most used are chatbots, virtual assistants, and AI-powered content generators.
That is according to a study from IT consultancy Fellowmind, which probed 500 organisations from six European countries. The results show that 65% have set a special budget for AI, which indicates a proactive approach to integrating the much-hyped technology. Far from just being used experimentally, AI is now often becoming a permanent part of the organisational structure of businesses.
Dedicated AI focus
The leadership in many European companies has fully embraced AI implementation. When AI is embedded into the organisation and resources are allocated, these organisations thrive. These tools are often a means of creating new value or cutting back on wasted resources.
Putting a dedicated AI team in place is a great step forward because it can help organisations move past the planning and exploratory stages where they often get stuck. Nearly two-thirds of the organisations surveyed by Fellowmind said that they now having dedicated AI teams or leads in place.
These AI teams are particularly common among larger organisations, which have the resources and capabilities to support these roles. Some smaller organisations, however, are still in the early stages of their AI journey or may lack the resources and capabilities needed to establish dedicated AI teams.
Impact of AI
Among the organisations that have already begun implementing AI, 42% reported seeing higher productivity, 41% reported more efficient processes, and 31% reported more creativity and innovation. This is mostly in line with what we know about how companies use Gen AI – in many cases, tedious and repetitive tasks are now being automated, allowing for more productivity and efficiency.
Despite that, there are still many organisations that struggle with integrating AI. For example, half of European organisations are still in the exploratory phase of their AI journey. They still have to apply AI and invest in training and implementation. Nevertheless, more than half of decision-makers who are not yet using AI expect to invest in AI tools in the next three years.
“AI is not a magic wand, but it is a powerful tool that, when used correctly, can optimize business processes today and for the future. AI teams could take this even further by running some of these processes autonomously,” said Arvid Josefsson, an AI expert at Fellowmind.
AI budgets
When moving forward with AI implementation, organisations clearly need to make funding available to make these projects happen. In fact, implementing AI can be a big expense, especially if companies choose to create their own tools instead of using third party tools.
The survey found that two-thirds of organizations (65%) have already put aside dedicated funding for AI in their budgeting. This reflects a proactive approach to integrating AI across their operations.
Budgeting for AI is far more common among larger organisations, which are more likely to have funding available for new projects. In contrast, smaller organizations often face limitations in their budgets and are not as likely to allocate money to AI.
AI most applied to IT functions
In terms of which business functions AI has been most applied to, respondents cited IT, marketing & communications, and customer service functions. Indeed, AI does not appear to be applied evenly across functions. Areas like human resources, sustainability, and procurement, among others, are lagging behind when it comes to AI.
Overall, what is clear is that AI is also adopted unevenly across different industries: AI usage is most prevalent in the service and technology sectors, while it remains less common in the public, energy and utility, and manufacturing sectors.
The growth of AI has been felt in countries around the world, and different regions are in various stages of developing legislation on the largely unregulated industry. The Europe Union has been at the forefront of AI regulations with the so-called ‘EU AI Act’, a set of rules that aim to both promote the beneficial uses of AI while also managing the risks.
“AI is no longer deployed ad hoc, but firmly anchored in core processes – from customer service to finance and operations,” said Martien Merks, a leader at Fellowmind in the Netherlands. “This shift is logical: Organisations want to be agile, respond to changes faster and make better-informed decisions. AI is not a goal in itself, but an indispensable building block in the digital foundation of organisations.”
