An article by Klaus Werner, Managing Director Business Customers Telekom Deutschland GmbH.
While global corporations are already investing heavily in AI, there is also a unique opportunity for small and medium-sized companies: increased efficiency, new sources of revenue and customized innovations. Those who rely on AI now can react more quickly to market changes and secure decisive competitive advantages. The time is ripe to switch on the turbo and take off with AI.
In today's digital era, artificial intelligence (AI) is at the center of a profound transformation that is touching almost every industry. As one of the most advanced technologies of our time, AI has the potential to fundamentally change our ways of working, business processes and everyday interactions.
But what exactly is artificial intelligence? It refers to machines and systems that are able to simulate human intelligence. This includes learning from experience (machine learning), recognizing patterns, language processing and making decisions. AI systems can analyze large amounts of data in order to gain valuable insights and carry out actions autonomously.
AI in SMEs: a driver for innovation and efficiency
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form the backbone of the German economy. It is in a constant state of change, driven by technological innovations and increasing customer demands. AI plays a key role in this. The opportunities offered by AI are immense. Medium-sized companies can not only increase their efficiency, but also develop innovative services that open up new sources of revenue. The use of AI facilitates decision-making as it is based on precise data analysis and forecasts. This enables companies to react more quickly to market changes and secure competitive advantages.
One thing is clear: increasing digitalization and the use of technologies such as AI are making data centers for cloud applications ever more important. On the other hand, high-performance connectivity and infrastructure are also needed to move the gigantic amounts of data. In order to exploit the full potential of AI, a high-performance infrastructure, such as fiber optics, is essential as a lifeline for processing large amounts of data and real-time communication. And that's why I'm particularly pleased that we, as Deutsche Telekom, have taken a top position as an ICT provider in a recently published ranking by the analyst firm PAC. This confirms: We deliver the best services for the AI era.
Time to act
Artificial intelligence has a high potential for value creation in Germany. This is how KfW describes it in its current research article "Artificial intelligence in Germany". Market studies forecast a high overall economic potential of artificial intelligence, with an expected increase in German gross domestic product of 11.3 percent or 430 billion euros by 2030. Deutsche Telekom is also focusing on AI. For example, we have introduced an in-house chatbot (Mate) based on ChatGPT and are currently rolling out a personal AI assistant (Concierge) internally.
Other application examples at Deutsche Telekom include the multi-award-winning service chatbot "Ask Magenta", predictive analyses in customer service, software robots (RPA), our T-Car, which intelligently plans 60,000 km of fiber optic routes, and AI-supported platforms for cyber defense.
As early as 2018, Deutsche Telekom was one of the first companies to define a framework for the use of AI. With our strengths of customer proximity, data protection and security, we are the partner that helps companies master the challenges of digitalization. True to our motto "Digitalization. Together. Do.".
Developing company-specific use cases - that's what matters
There is no "off-the-shelf" AI and often no "one size fits all" for all companies. Business customers need individual advice in order to integrate AI into their processes in a meaningful and value-adding way. Automation potential lies dormant in almost all business processes. But AI can do much more: it creates the basis for individualization, assistance and new business models. Our experts develop this together with our customers in workshops. Thanks to our in-depth understanding of the industry, we develop strategies and innovation concepts that can be implemented in practice. An intensive analysis of our clients' core processes is essential in order to assess the quality of company data and make it usable. We use prototypes to ensure the effectiveness of the solutions. In this way, we work together to develop economical, feasible and needs-based AI applications.
This allows long-term solutions to be implemented. One example: the customized logistics solution at Frutania, a supplier of fruit and vegetables for the retail sector. The AI tracking system developed by Telekom MMS tracks the movements of countless pallets in Frutania's warehouses via video. This enables precise and efficient warehouse management.
In good hands with T Business
My focus is on personal interaction with our customers. That's why I know what they need to digitize their business. At T Business, we bundle various technology competencies such as connectivity, security, IoT and digital. We offer solutions that are ready for immediate use. One example is Microsoft Copilot. It combines the power of large language models with the data of the respective company. Thanks to helpful AI functions in applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel, employees can complete more tasks in less time.
If companies are looking for a generative AI solution at a fixed price, our Business GPT can support them. Business GPT offers the benefits of generative AI - without the associated data protection risks. After all, using freely accessible, generative AI chatbots in the work environment can be tricky, as sensitive company data could end up in publicly accessible data pools. Our AI simultaneous translator transcribbyAI can record and process speech in real time and translate it into more than 100 languages for stage monitors or smartphones. This increases the reach of content at conferences and panels and promotes the inclusion of people with visual and hearing impairments.
These are the first examples of the tangible benefits of AI. More will follow, I'm sure of it. The future of SMEs and Germany as a business location depends on our innovative strength. Only applied artificial intelligence offers us the opportunity to secure technological advantages and strengthen the business location in the long term. Use this opportunity to jointly expand Germany's role as an innovation leader - for a successful and future-proof economy.
