AI Study in Austria: One in Four – AI Offers No Competitive Advantage

The full potential of AI is still underestimated in Austria: Only 8 percent of executives surveyed in an AI study conducted by TQS Research and Consulting on behalf of the SAP consulting firm Tieto currently intend to become AI pioneers. Among the biggest obstacles to AI transformation are „legal issues, such as data protection“ (50 percent) and „data security/cybersecurity“ (46 percent). These are the key trends identified in the new AI study.

The survey polled 100 AI decision-makers and executives at Austrian companies with more than 250 employees. The vast majority—namely, 61 percent of respondents—fear „missed opportunities for increased efficiency, innovation, and reduced operating costs“ if they fail to keep pace with the adoption of AI.

Comparison: Austria vs. Germany

The new study results show that there are currently only a few AI pioneers and many laggards: Just over a quarter (27 percent) of the companies surveyed in Austria consider the integration of AI into core processes to be „very advanced“ or „advanced.“ By comparison, in Germany, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents report the same.

Overall, only 4 percent of Austrian companies have fully integrated AI applications into their core processes. Only 8 percent of respondents in Austria intend to integrate artificial intelligence into all of their company’s core processes. In contrast, 60 percent of respondents rate their AI integration as „not very advanced“ (meaning that initial AI pilot projects are being tested or used on a limited basis).

„Clean data, integrated data platforms, a clear cloud strategy, and security and compliance by design are essential for successful AI integration, since many advanced and agent-based AI capabilities are only available in cloud environments,“ explains Robert Kaup, Managing Director of Tieto Austria, outlining the key prerequisites. The use of artificial intelligence has already yielded positive results in some areas of work. According to the study, the top applications include „knowledge management and internal information retrieval“ (38 percent) as well as „increasing efficiency“ (30 percent), such as through the automatic processing of invoices or purchase orders. In contrast, few benefits of AI use are recognized for „data-driven decision-making (e.g., market analysis, risk management, predictive analytics)“: Only 11 percent of Austrian respondents cited this area, whereas in Germany it ranks among the top applications of artificial intelligence for 44 percent of respondents.

„The key now is to move quickly from the proof of concept
to achieve proof of value and apply AI wherever
to be used where they provide measurable added value and
”makes a significant contribution to value creation."

Andreas Wagner,
Managing Director,
SAP Austria

No Positive Results Have Been Achieved

AI is also rarely used for innovation and business model development; only one in ten (10 percent) sees a benefit in this. Surprisingly, one in four executives (26 percent) in Austria also states that AI has not generated positive results or competitive advantages „in any area.“ By comparison, only one percent of respondents in Germany share this view.

„Many companies have not yet tapped into the full potential of AI as a data-driven engine of innovation and competitiveness. It is now crucial to move quickly from ‚proof of concept‘ to ‚proof of value‘ and to deploy AI wherever it delivers measurable added value and makes a significant contribution to value creation,“ emphasizes Andreas Wagner, Managing Director of SAP Austria. „And as the next step, we need to prepare companies for the emerging revolution of AI agents that autonomously execute entire process chains.“ (Source: Tieto)