“Digital 2030” Trend Study by valantic and Handelsblatt Research Institute
Munich, May 8, 2025: What are the key factors for successfully implementing artificial intelligence (AI) in businesses? Digital consultancy valantic, in collaboration with Handelsblatt Research Institute, explored this question. A survey of approximately 700 C-level executives from companies in the DACH region reveals that success in AI goes beyond technological considerations; rather, strategic and organizational factors are now also deemed crucial for successfully deploying and leveraging AI applications. Another key finding is that companies already deriving measurable value from AI consider certain factors more important for success than organizations that are not.
In a joint research initiative with Handelsblatt Research Institute, valantic identified eleven potential success factors for AI projects. Around 700 executives were then asked to evaluate which of these factors they consider most important. The majority of respondents highlighted the following five aspects as particularly significant:
- Collaboration: Fostering cross-departmental cooperation between business units and technical and data teams when implementing AI applications.
- Data Foundation: Establishing a high-quality, reliable, and trustworthy data basis.
- Strategy: Embedding AI within the overall corporate strategy, supported by clearly defined objectives.
- Use Cases: Developing the capability to identify and execute business-critical AI use cases.
- Enablement: Equipping employees with the skills and knowledge needed to work together effectively with AI.
Laurenz Kirchner, Partner and Data & AI Practice Lead at valantic, explains: “The study’s findings indicate that decision-makers are increasingly taking a holistic view of AI and seeking to embed it strategically within their organizations. Effective collaboration between the business units and technology and data teams is now widely recognized as a critical success factor for AI projects, as is the importance of a high-quality, reliable, and trustworthy data foundation. At the same time, it’s becoming clear that there is no single, universal key to AI success—rather, it is the combination and interaction of multiple factors that ultimately determines the effectiveness of AI initiatives.”
Successful Companies Prioritize Collaboration and Executive Support
Another key finding is that organizations already deriving measurable value from AI tend to prioritize certain success factors differently than those that are not. Notably, they place greater emphasis on cross-departmental collaboration as a critical driver of success. The role of senior management also stands out as a key differentiator—organizations benefiting from AI are significantly more likely to underscore the importance of visible support from top leadership compared to those that have yet to realize measurable results.
While around one-third of respondents identified the top five success factors as particularly important for their companies, fewer than one in five considered the recruitment of AI talent to be critical to success. This could be partly attributable to the increasing maturity of AI models, which now allow for easier integration into company-specific processes. Additionally, the overall AI proficiency of IT graduates has improved in recent years, reducing the need for highly specialized hires. As a result, organizations are shifting their focus toward fostering AI literacy across the broader workforce.
“Companies are increasingly recognizing that, to drive tangible business value, employees across all departments must first have the necessary skills to use AI applications efficiently,” says Laurenz Kirchner. While in-depth expertise can still provide a competitive edge, it’s essential to strike a balance between highly specialized AI capabilities and investments in grassroots AI literacy. “As such, broad-based mastery of AI skills across all job profiles is at the same time becoming commonplace at more and more companies.”
Study Design Overview
The study results are based on quantitative as well as qualitative surveys conducted with approximately 700 decision-makers from companies across the DACH region. The majority of respondents represented organizations with more than 500 employees. The study focused particularly on key sectors including automotive, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food and beverage production, retail and consumer goods, manufacturing, telecommunications, transportation and logistics, and utilities.
The full study report is available for free download
The valantic study “Digital 2030” highlights current developments and provides insights into how companies can use them for their success.
