AI: Swiss companies still in catch-up mode

Artificial intelligence has arrived in Swiss companies – but mostly in a cautious and selective manner. While large enterprises are clearly ahead in terms of usage and strategic integration of AI, many SMEs are acting as followers. At the same time, willingness to invest is growing strongly despite limited returns so far.

Key findings
Swiss companies currently use AI mainly in marketing and customer service: more complex areas are lagging behind.

More than 70 percent invest less than 5 percent of their IT budget in AI but are planning significant increases.

So far, AI has primarily delivered efficiency gains, with little revenue growth.

Data protection, hallucinations, and dependence on cloud providers remain key risks.

AI maturity depends more on company size than on industry.

The four areas examined in detail

AI adoption: Focus on simple use cases
Companies currently use AI mainly where effort is low and risks are manageable, such as in marketing, customer service, and text and chatbot applications. In areas such as logistics, production, and finance, adoption remains limited. However, respondents expect strong progress over the next three to five years, particularly in previously underdeveloped areas.

Investments and value creation: High confidence, low returns
Most companies are still investing cautiously in AI. At the same time, the study shows a clear positive correlation between investment and efficiency gains. Around 75 percent of organizations report productivity improvements, while revenue gains remain rare. Despite sometimes lacking short-term success, three quarters of respondents are planning to increase their budgets – a sign of continued confidence in AI’s potential.

Risks and governance: Awareness meets practical pressure
Hallucinations, data protection, and data loss are among the biggest concerns. Nevertheless, around one third of companies rely on cloud and SaaS solutions from major providers despite these risks. High competitive and innovation pressure means that security concerns are sometimes pushed into the background in practice.

AI maturity: Large enterprises as drivers
Most companies currently fall into the categories of “Followers” or “Visionaries.” True “Leaders” are mainly found among large enterprises, which are more likely to have clear strategies, dedicated budgets, and governance structures. Company size proves to be the decisive factor for maturity: more so than industry.

Recommendations: From experimentation to strategy
Strategy first: Companies should anchor AI strategically before investing in complex use cases.

Focus on SMEs: Small and medium-sized enterprises benefit in particular from solid governance and foundational structures as well as efficient use cases.

Ambition for large enterprises: Large companies should increasingly focus on innovation- and growth-oriented use cases.

Structured risk assessment: Systematic risk/benefit analysis and an appropriate sourcing strategy are key to sustainable success.

About the Study
The “AI Maturity Study 2026” was conducted jointly by ti&m and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU). It analyzes the state of AI adoption in Swiss companies across the dimensions of adoption, investment, risk, and maturity. The study results were presented on February 5 at the HSLU campus.

About ti&m
ti&m stands for technology, innovation and management. We are the Swiss leader in digitalization projects and products. With AI-powered innovation and a strong commitment to open source, we efficiently address our clients’ challenges and provide vertical integration along the entire IT value chain.

Across our offices in Zurich, Bern, Basel, Frankfurt am Main, Dusseldorf, and Singapore, we employ over 550 highly skilled engineers, designers, and consultants. As we open new locations, we continue to bring our expertise to additional financial and technology hubs, aligned with our clients’ evolving needs.

Contact
If you have any questions, the marketing team will be happy to assist you. marketing@ti8m.ch, Tel. 044 497 75 00