adesso study: companies call for “GenAI made in Europe”

Switzerland and the EU are not leading the global AI race, and this needs to change. At the AI Summit in Paris earlier this year, the European Union announced substantial investments in the AI industry to catch up with global competition and strengthen Europe's technological sovereignty. These investments, coupled with a strong emphasis on developing secure and ethical AI, aim to position Europe ​as​ a global leader.

In a new GenAI study, adesso examines how Swiss companies currently assess Switzerland and Europe in terms of generative AI, their self-assessed readiness, and the role GenAI plays in their daily operations.​​ To gather insights, the IT service provider surveyed 100 executives from the Swiss economy.

• Companies are waiting for “GenAI made in Europe”.

Respondents signal a need for European alternatives. For 59 percent, it is “important” or “very important” that the GenAI applications their company uses or could use are developed in Europe. This indicates a strong awareness of digital sovereignty and a desire to avoid dependency on non-European providers.

• Regulation is a necessary tool.

The majority of respondents support stronger regulation of AI applications such as ChatGPT​,​ with 51 percent agreeing “somewhat,” and 24 percent agree​ing​ “strongly.” These figures ​suggest​​ ​ that companies not only accept regulation but ​also​ see it as essential for responsible AI usage.

• Companies' GenAI readiness is increasing.

Companies now feel better prepared for GenAI, with the proportion feeling “well” or “very well” equipped rising from 31 percent to 39 percent compared to the previous year. However, at​ ​the strategic level, GenAI is only gradually being integrated into companies, with only 50 percent having already developed an AI strategy​,​ and 25 percent of these focusing solely on classic AI.

• AI agents are on the radar but hardly in use yet.

Although 39 percent of respondents are evaluating the potential applications of AI agents, only 11 percent are currently using AI agents productively in specific areas. This suggests that the next evolutionary stage of GenAI – autonomous, actively acting AI agents – has yet to be widely adopted in companies.