Only one in three companies feels well prepared for AI

A third of Swiss companies believe they are well positioned when it comes to AI. In a European comparison, Switzerland is only in the middle field. 34 percent of Swiss companies say they are well or very well prepared to exploit the potential of artificial intelligence (AI).

This is a significant improvement compared to the previous year, when just under a quarter felt they were well positioned, as the “AI Readiness Index” published by the IT company Cisco shows on Friday.

In a European comparison, however, Switzerland only occupies a place in the middle field. Spain (40%) and Great Britain (47%) performed significantly better in the survey. In comparison, more than one in two companies in the USA and China believe they are well prepared for the topic of AI.

AI talent globally competitive

“Especially in the area of ​​IT infrastructure, there is a lot of catching up to do to make data centers fit for AI requirements.” This is what Christopher Tighe, Cisco’s Swiss boss, says. It is positive that Switzerland is quite competitive worldwide when it comes to AI talent.

All companies surveyed in Switzerland stated that the urgency to introduce AI has increased over the past year. Around half would already spend ten to 30 percent of their IT budget on AI projects.

Results often unsatisfactory

Despite the high investments, the results have often not been satisfactory, it goes on to say. Over 60 percent of respondents reported that AI initiatives had not achieved significant progress or results in automating, optimizing, and supporting processes.

Almost 8,000 IT managers from large companies in 30 markets were surveyed for the study. 300 respondents came from Switzerland.