More than two thirds of Swiss managers do not know the content of the EU AI Act
Many Swiss companies are deeply integrated into the European economy and affected by the EU's AI law, but only very few are familiar with its content.
With the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act), the European Union recently passed the world's first AI law. It has far-reaching implications for all companies operating in the EU - and therefore also for many Swiss companies that are closely integrated into the European economy. However, a survey conducted by IT service provider adesso, for which 778 decision-makers from companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland were asked about Generative AI (GenAI), shows that the topic has not yet really reached them.
The key result: only 30% of respondents from Switzerland stated that they were familiar with the content of the EU AI Act. This risk-based regulatory approach will play a role in almost all projects involving artificial intelligence (AI) and is expected to come into force as early as August 2024. And even if individual provisions only have to be implemented in stages by 2026, a sustainable AI strategy should already take them into account now.
"For Swiss companies that offer or use AI-based solutions in the EU or use their results there, it is essential to deal with the EU AI Act," emphasizes Hansjörg Süess, CEO of adesso Switzerland. "However, it can also make sense for other companies to familiarize themselves with the requirements, as a possible Swiss AI regulation will be based on the EU AI Act - just as the new federal law on data protection is based on the EU's General Data Protection Regulation."
Great ambitions ...
Although there is still a lack of knowledge about the EU AI Act: Respondents attach great importance to the topic of GenAI. For example, 75 percent of respondents from Switzerland see the technology as an opportunity for their own business model. Expectations are high and optimism is high. In view of this positive basic attitude, the negative assessment of their own GenAI position is surprising: 18% see their own company as only "adequately" prepared for GenAI, 26% even only "inadequately" prepared. In the more than one and a half years since ChatGPT was published, almost half of Swiss companies have not managed to position themselves properly on the topic of GenAI. These are not the best conditions for a successful start in the GenAI world.
... low maturity
Other survey results show that many companies are ill-prepared: When asked about the biggest hurdles to the introduction of GenAI applications, 32 percent of Swiss respondents cited the lack of quality or quantity of their own data. This makes this issue a bigger problem in the eyes of the respondents than, for example, the quality of the responses generated (30 percent see this as an obstacle) or the costs of the project (16 percent). This is a clear indication that many companies are neglecting the processes surrounding their own data. Systematic collection, checking, processing and distribution are the basic prerequisites for the successful introduction and use of GenAI applications. Only if companies create these urgently needed foundations as part of a data strategy and by means of a data governance framework can the goals they have set themselves be achieved: As many as 72 percent of decision-makers state that their company intends to implement a system with Generative AI in the next twelve months.
"AI only works with data, and how good the results of AI systems are ultimately depends directly on the availability of relevant and balanced training data in sufficient quantities," explains Süess. "In order to successfully implement AI projects, well thought-out data management is therefore essential and should be given the appropriate time and budget."
Source: www.adesso.ch
