Artificial Intelligence in Everyday Business: Here’s How It Works
Job killer? Revenue driver? Opinions on the consequences of artificial intelligence vary widely. But the benefits could far outweigh the costs. Five examples from the business world illustrate this. A how-to guide.
Does Alpecin Grey Attack shampoo really reverse graying in men? The manufacturer, Dr. Wolff, promises it will—“after three weeks of daily use.” But the effectiveness isn’t the point here. What matters is: “Men who use Alpecin Grey Attack Shampoo on their hair said they’d like something suitable for their temples and beards as well.”
That’s according to Zhuo Li, AI lead at the Dr. Wolff Group in Bielefeld. And he says it with pride. Thanks to a spirit of innovation and adaptability, they were able to give the customer what they wanted. It was only the company’s proprietary AI, which analyzes customer forums worldwide, that identified this need. “We then developed a product that specifically reverses graying in the temples and beard.”
The Dr. Wolff Group sees AI as an opportunity to increase sales and remain competitive. To achieve this, the company enlisted the help of a local AI agency.
The result: an artificial intelligence (AI) system called “Product Lens,” which analyzes user comments in various languages virtually in real time and suggests product ideas. Made in Germany—and: a win-win.
AI can be a blessing. It’s important to emphasize this in times marked by bad news: job cuts, fears about AI, and disruption. There are plenty of corporations and small-to-medium-sized businesses that are embracing technological change and integrating AI into their corporate culture.
What matters here: enjoying the transformation, having clear goals—and taking the use of AI for granted. Five examples from the business world show how it can be done.
The transformation won’t be easy. Because the truth is also this: The road is winding; there are not only winners but also losers.
For instance, Meta is cutting one in ten positions due to AI, resulting in the loss of around 8,000 jobs. DeepL, Cloudflare, and Commerzbank plan to replace employees with AI. Amazon is cutting 30,000 office jobs worldwide. Computer manufacturer HP is eliminating 6,000 positions. And Ford CEO Jim Farley warned that AI could replace “half of all office jobs” in the long term.
At the same time, expansion is taking place elsewhere. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy recently said that the use of AI and AI agents is changing “the way we work.” According to Jassy:
[Quote] “We will need fewer people for some of the tasks that are done today, and more people for other types of work.”
The political roadmap is clear: Research Minister Dorothee Bär speaks of aiming to generate ten percent of economic output through AI by 2030.
According to a McKinsey report, 92 percent of companies confirm that they plan to invest more money in AI over the next three years. However, only “one percent” consider their own projects to be “fully developed” so far.
The competition is therefore being decided right now: between companies that use AI effectively—and those that can’t move beyond pilot projects. The following best practices show how it can be done.
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Sales: Finding Customers
Just do it. That was the philosophy of Moritz von Soden, managing director of Bornemann Gewindetechnik GmbH in Delligsen, Lower Saxony. Bornemann manufactures threads for oil platforms, factories, and aircraft. Old Economy at its best.
That is precisely why von Soden wanted to jump on the AI bandwagon early on. He wanted to show that small and medium-sized enterprises can keep pace with digitalization and—even more importantly—gain a competitive edge. So he invented “Anna,” his digital assistant.
Here’s what you need to know: Bornemann manufactures smooth-running threads that overcome the “stick-slip effect” by preventing the spindle and nut from rubbing against each other. One industry that uses these high-tech threads is space travel. German expertise, a niche market, a global market leader.
Until now, two sales representatives went out cold calling, dialing numbers all over the world to sell Bornemann’s smooth-running threads. Now they’re supported by Anna, a sort of digital stalker.
Visitors to the Bornemann website typically leave behind an IP address that can be traced back to, say, the manufacturer of an oil rig. Bornemann uses this digital trail, “in compliance with data protection laws,” says von Soden.
The AI agent Anna then searches for buyers who work for the company, in the threading specialist’s address book and in public databases. If she finds an email address, she sends an email. If there is no reply, she calls the customer.
Anna sounds like a “young woman in her mid-thirties,” says von Soden, with a “warm, engaging tone.” She is meant to advise, but not to sell—and to disclose early on that she is not human. Anna speaks dozens of languages and knows all DIN standards for threads.
And does it work? Von Soden says that his company is still holding back a bit in Germany because Germans are culturally skeptical of AI-powered calls.
Other countries are more open to it. “It works. It’s an absolutely amazing technology.” And: “Digital assistance is getting better and better.”
For Tina Klüwer, Executive Director of the startup platform AI Nation, every successful AI strategy begins with a fundamental decision: Should AI make internal processes more efficient or improve the product portfolio? Many companies skip this analysis. Instead of concrete use cases, tools are introduced haphazardly.
Yet success depends heavily on which processes are to be automated: How frequently do they occur? How standardized are they? Where does actual economic benefit arise? Klüwer says:
[Quote] “First the goal, then the processes.”
Companies and small and medium-sized businesses often find the expertise they need at young German startups. One company currently generating a lot of buzz among investors is Parloa.
The Berlin-based company develops AI agents for corporate call centers and customer service teams. Its clients include major corporations such as Tui, Barmenia Gothaer, and Decathlon. The AI startup is now valued at more than three billion euros.
Conclusion: Just go for it, but with analysis first. Even AI-generated chatbots, which seem unusual to German consumers, can solve problems and generate revenue.
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Artificial intelligence is here to stay. It’s that simple, that obvious.
What this means: “Companies that view AI merely as a tool will be displaced by those that see it as a new employee.” ChatGPT.
Autoren:
Christian Schlesiger (Ressortleiter Wirtschaft)
Claudia Scholz (Stv. Ressortleiterin Wirtschaft)
Miriam Augscheller (Junior-Redakteurin Politik & Gesellschaft)
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