Colombus Consulting has published the first Data and AI Observatory in Switzerland 2024. This study, conducted in collaboration with Oracle and the Haute école de gestion de Genève (HEG) business school, shows that Swiss companies have strong ambitions in terms of data and AI, but are struggling to effectively integrate these subjects into their strategies for effective implementation.
The aim of the Observatory is to guide Swiss organisations towards a successful transformation, by identifying the specific challenges and opportunities relating to AI and data in business, and providing recommendations accordingly.
The panel surveyed covers the whole territory of Switzerland, in sectors as varied as financial services, new technologies, healthcare and the public sector. The Observatory is based on a multi-stage methodology:
A detailed questionnaire was used to question around a hundred organisations about the state of their governance, their technological maturity and their ambitions and obstacles with regard to their data transformation projects;
The additional collection of qualitative points of view via in-depth interviews with experts and opinion leaders; On this basis, we have formulated a number of observations and recommendations, some of which are set out below:
Key results
- The maturity of Swiss companies: a race against time. Despite aiming to develop a data-driven culture to improve efficiency and competitiveness, 91% of Swiss companies consider themselves to be at a low or intermediate level of maturity when it comes to data & AI.
- Data governance, quality and security: top priorities. Only 55% of the organisations surveyed have governance in place, and 46% consider their security to be advanced. Measures need to be stepped up.
- Strategies and objectives: an essential but complex alignment. AI is integrated into long-term strategies in only 33% of cases, mainly due to a lack of understanding of AI and concerns about costs and ROI.
- Generative AI: a strong dynamic that is out of step with the fundamentals. 67% of companies have already identified use cases and launched pilot projects, mainly to improve productivity and the customer experience. There is a real gap between the attention being paid to generative AI and the relatively low level of maturity of the data and AI ecosystems.
