“The impact of AI won’t be felt today or tomorrow, but further down the line,” says Ralf Wintergerst in conversation with Svea Eckert. The Bitkom president knows that many SMEs are still struggling to get to grips with artificial intelligence.
According to a Bitkom study, 29 per cent of German companies think AI is a passing fad. “I’d say these 29 per cent have considerably underestimated the impact of AI.” Particularly when it comes to internal knowledge transfer, predictive maintenance in manufacturing, enhancing existing and developing new products.
Ralf Wintergerst explains what these companies need to do to catch up: “Companies have a learning curve ahead of them. They need to get started looking for projects where AI can make a real difference, get their employees on board and give them the skills they need before scaling up. They also need to ready themselves for disappointment when they are unable to achieve the potential they were aiming for as quickly as they wanted.
His view is that it is essential for companies and the country as a whole to get started now. “AI presents very real opportunities and we need to position ourselves to take full advantage and succeed in a technology-enabled world. We need innovations, courage and a pioneer spirit. 1,000 companies with 100 million euros in revenues in the digital sector—that should be Germany’s new digital SME landscape.”
Bitkom.
Founded in 1999, the IT industry association represents some 2,200 members including approximately 1,000 SMEs and over 500 startups, half of the DAX40 companies and a host of global players. Its aim is to make Germany a digital leader and advocates for the digitalisation of the economy and public administration, strong digital sovereignty and societal inclusion in digital developments. Against this backdrop, the association strives for the faster rollout of gigabit networks and digital infrastructure for energy and mobility, for trade and for smart homes, for cities and regions. It also supports policies for data-driven business models, cybersecurity, platforms, disruptive technologies, and work 4.0.