Who is responsible for introducing AI in the company?

A survey by the ifaa shows that in companies with more than 100 employees, responsibility for introducing AI systems is bundled in one department, while smaller companies often have neither a responsible person nor a responsible department. Across all company sizes, in about 27.5% of companies, a person, for example a Chief Artificial Intelligence and Data Officer (CAIDO), takes on responsibility for the strategic implementation of AI introductions. The results show that larger companies have a head start in implementing AI.

‘In business practice, new technologies are usually used by individuals at first and only later are they anchored in the company's organisational structure. However, in view of the potential and transformative power of AI, it is essential that an individual or department be entrusted with the topic of AI at an early stage. This ensures that this technology is used strategically and at an early stage in the company,’ says Dr.-Ing Markus Harlacher, scientific expert at ifaa.

Digital transformation has already established roles such as the Chief Digital Officer, who is specifically designed to develop and implement a company's internal digitalisation strategy, or the Chief Data Officer, who is responsible for managing the company's data assets.

In the context of AI, the role of Chief Artificial Intelligence and Data Officer (CAIDO) can be found in companies. This role focuses primarily on the important and necessary task of embedding an understanding of AI at management level and developing a company-wide AI strategy. The CAIDO's potential responsibilities also include coordinating interdisciplinary teams and managing a possible new organisational unit as part of the AI implementation.

In the period from November to December 2023, 531 managers and employees from the manufacturing industry were surveyed in the online survey. While a large proportion of the study participants from small companies with up to 99 employees state that neither a department nor an individual is responsible for the introduction of AI in their company, in companies with 100 or more employees, responsibility lies with entire departments in the majority of cases. The proportion of companies in which an individual takes responsibility for the introduction of AI is 27.5% across all company sizes.

The results also show that small companies are lagging behind when it comes to introducing AI systems. Only 30% of study participants from companies with up to 99 employees stated that at least one AI system had already been introduced in their company. Another 20% of this sub-sample work in companies where the introduction of AI is planned. In almost 50% of companies, the introduction of AI is neither planned nor implemented. By contrast, more than 80% of the study participants from larger companies state that AI is used in their company or will be introduced in the future. This confirms the findings of the 2022 study ‘Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing Companies’.