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The Rise of Applied AI
Find out which digital trends and technologies will shape the future. The valantic Study "Digital 2030" highlights current developments and provides insights into how companies can use them for their success.
Our Digital 2030 Study is divided into three sections: The Digital Trends section focuses on the evaluation of current technology trends by the surveyed C-level decision-makers. In the Applied AI section, which is the main focus of this study, we explore the opportunities, added values, and success factors in integrating artificial intelligence into business applications. The C-Level Insights section includes content from personal interviews we conducted with selected C-level executives as part of the study, aiming to put the quantitative results into a practical context.
It’s worth visiting this page regularly, as we continuously update the content. Stay informed and be inspired by exciting insights from the world of digitization!
Which digital technologies will be most crucial for corporate success over the next five years? Which hotly debated trends are actually the list of priorities for C-level executives? In the study ‘Digital 2030: The Rise of Applied AI’, we delved into these pivotal questions together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute, by engaging with the executive teams of approximately 700 companies.
Opportunities and expectations
Importance of the following digital technologies for the company's success in the next five years*
* Proportion of corporate decision-makers surveyed who consider the respective technology to be "rather important" or "very important"; n=683. Source: Handelsblatt Research Institute / valantic (2025)
Industry comparison
Importance of the following digital technologies for corporate success in the next five years - by sector*
* Ranking according to the proportion of corporate decision-makers surveyed who consider the respective technology to be “rather important” or “very important”, partially split places; n=683. Source: Handelsblatt Research Institute / valantic (2025)
Decision-makers consider the digitalization trends cybersecurity, cloud and AI to be the most important for their own company’s success in the next five years. This is the result of a C-level survey conducted by valantic together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute. In the following, you can read related articles that deal with the current opportunities and challenges for companies in the aforementioned top trends of digitalization and go beyond the content of these study results.
Trend
1
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Cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important for companies. In the face of growing threats from ransomware and phishing, technologies such as AI and post-quantum cryptography offer innovative defense options. Now is the time to make data and system security a priority and prepare for future challenges.
Trend
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Cloud technologies have become indispensable for business success. Due to increasing demands for flexibility and efficiency, multi-cloud and hybrid strategies offer innovative solutions. The integration of technologies such as AI and edge computing opens up new potential, while cost optimization and data security remain key issues in cloud transformation.
Trend
3
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AI is currently the dominant technology in the public debate. It will play a key role in the success of companies over the next five years. In a nutshell, this is the result of a recent survey of more than 680 C-level decision-makers that valantic conducted together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute.
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly integrated into more and more business applications, with established use cases on the rise and adoption rates climbing. But how significant are the measurable benefits? Which use cases are particularly popular across different industries, and what is the return on investment (ROI)? Together with the Handelsblatt Research Institute, we've explored these questions in the focal part of our study on 'Applied AI.'
Your Opinion
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Extensively trained
70 %
of the DACH board members surveyed stated that they generate measurable added business value through AI applications.
Industry relevance
Is Applied AI relevant for your industry?
Unlocking New Possibilities
Applied AI: Driving Customer Success with an innovative approach
More about Applied AIThe results of the quantitative survey of around 700 decision-makers in the 'Digital 2030' study project provide a compelling snapshot of current sentiments. However, the topics truly come to life through the practical and personal insights shared by respondents in direct conversations. That’s why we conducted personal interviews with selected C-level executives from a number of focus sectors. The result: Five individual perspectives on the current opportunities and challenges of digitalization.
Felix Jahnen is Chief Digital Officer at Krombacher. The brewery is based in Kreuztal (NRW) and employs more than 1,000 people.
Felix Jahnen provides insights into his experiences with AI projects and expectations for the most important digitalization trends of the coming years.
In AI projects, the definition of responsibility and objectives is the most important success factor - in other words, ownership. We are not introducing AI just because we want to introduce AI, but in order to achieve something with it.
Felix Jahnen, Chief Digital Officer, Krombacher Group
Authenticity is at the heart of the Krombacher brand. How do you reconcile this with AI-generated content on social media? In this interview, Felix Jahnen, Chief Digital Officer at Krombacher, explains the benefits of artificial intelligence for his company and the risks he sees when using AI in customer communication.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Mr Jahnen, what are the biggest digitalization trends in the food & beverage sector up to 2030?
Felix Jahnen
Currently, I see a certain saturation and normalization in digitalization. The times of great leaps in development are over. People no longer celebrate everything just because it's digital. Instead of blindly following hypes, it's time for realness again.
By the year 2030, digital will have firmly established itself as the leading medium. However, the amount of time people spend on digital platforms will stagnate. Consequently, it will become more challenging for companies to find ways to get through to their customers at all, and the major platforms (Meta, TikTok, Google, Amazon, etc.) will remain the primary gatekeepers, which will increasingly have to be paid for.
AI projects shouldn't be scoped too narrowly. The benefits should be significant enough to be recognized across the entire company. This increases the likelihood of securing larger budgets for future projects. A use case confined to a niche won't achieve this.
Zied Bahrouni, CEO, Motius GmbH
Zied Bahrouni is CEO of the research and development company Motius, which offers its customers end-to-end support from innovation consulting to customized technical development.
Bahrouni is also a member of the advisory board of automotive supplier Eberspächer, which is headquartered in Esslingen am Neckar and has around 80 locations in 30 countries.
Zied Bahrouni, CEO of the R&D company Motius, is very familiar with the opportunities and challenges of digitalization for companies - and not just in the automotive industry, where he serves on the advisory board of automotive supplier Eberspächer. He sees great potential in increasing productivity through AI, but in order to leverage this, it is crucial to focus on specific application scenarios. In the interview, Bahrouni describes what is important when choosing the right use case.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Mr Bahrouni, which digitalization topics are currently the focus of production companies?
Zied Bahrouni
For a while, the main focus was on digitally mapping manual processes. Now, the focus is more on bringing digital processes closer to the physical world. In terms of production, this means merging the digital processes at headquarters with the physical production chain and coordinating the two.
For example, the aim is to improve production control. This requires algorithms, sensors, actuators and robotics so that the digital and physical worlds can interact with each other. In this respect, the question is no longer what can I digitize, but how can I improve the physical world - for example, production - with new technologies.
Holger Riemenschneider is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at IONITY.
The joint venture between car manufacturers BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen - with Audi and Porsche as well as the BlackRock Climate Infrastructure Platform as a financial investor - operates a network of high-speed charging stations along highways in 24 European countries.
It is not the case that AI pays off in terms of return on investment from day one. But in most cases, the deployment is profitable after one year at the latest.
Holger Riemenschneider, Director Technology, IONITY
Increased efficiency, lower costs, predictive maintenance: IONITY is already realizing measurable added value in many areas through the use of artificial intelligence. At the same time, CTO Holger Riemenschneider emphasizes that people will continue to play a decisive role in economic progress - especially when it comes to innovation. In this interview, Riemenschneider explains what is important for the successful use of AI in companies.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Mr. Riemenschneider, which technology trends will have the greatest impact on your industry over the next five years?
Holger Riemenschneider
AI is currently at the top of the list of relevant technology trends. However, it is also a big buzzword. Companies now have to bring the trend to life. To do this, it is important that there are concrete use cases with which the tasks and problems of companies can be solved. However, this also poses a challenge for the further development of AI applications.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
What is this challenge?
In order to generate added value with AI, it is sometimes necessary to rethink the systems and structures in companies that have grown over several years. If the foundations are laid properly, I believe that AI is the technology with the greatest potential for the future.
Dr. Matthias Marquart, Chief Digital Officer, Andreas Schmid Logistik AG
Matthias Marquart is Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at the Andreas Schmid Group, where he is responsible for digitalization and IT.
With 1,600 employees, the internationally oriented logistics provider operates 260,000 m² of logistics space at over 30 locations in Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
Many processes in the transport and logistics industry are already highly optimized, and the scope for additional efficiency gains through new technologies seems limited. This is where AI can become a game changer and create a new foundation for innovation, says Dr. Matthias Marquart, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) at logistics company Andreas Schmid. The challenge is to rethink systems and structures that have grown within the company over many years. In this interview, he explains why the effort is worth it.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Mr. Marquart, which digital technologies will have the greatest impact on the transport and logistics sector over the next five years?
Dr. Matthias Marquart
The core technology is, of course, AI. But the big trend with AI at the moment is that people are no longer dealing with the technology dogmatically, but are starting to put the business case first - the real business case and not an imaginary one. This makes implementation immediately valuable.
In order to generate added value with AI, it is sometimes necessary to rethink the systems and structures in companies that have grown over several years. If the foundations are laid properly, I believe that AI is the technology with the greatest potential for the future.
Holger Mägdefrau is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Lohmann & Rauscher (L&R), where he is responsible for Organization & IT, Human Resources, Finance and Quality Management.
L&R is a leading international supplier of medical and hygiene products and services in the fields of wound management, bandages and bandages as well as set systems and hygiene.
In my view, the success of AI projects is largely linked to the employees. It's about how well we manage to train the workforce for AI - across the board, not as specialists. It is also necessary to motivate them to use the applications. High data quality is the basic prerequisite for almost all future applications in our industry - especially for digital platforms and AI.
Holger Mägdefrau, Chief Financial Officer, Lohmann & Rauscher
The use of AI in a business context is no longer reserved for specialists. It is important to train and motivate the workforce for AI applications across the board, says Holger Mägdefrau. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the international medical and hygiene products provider Lohmann & Rauscher has already noticed efficiency and productivity gains in his own company through the use of GenAI. In this interview, he explains how AI projects can become a win-win situation, even in highly regulated industries.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Mr. Mägdefrau, which technology trends will have the greatest impact on the healthcare sector over the next five years?
Holger Mägdefrau
Digital platforms are likely to have the biggest impact. Overall, this is not a new technology, but our industry has only recently started to use it more intensively. For example, we are working with a start-up that has developed a platform for dermatologists. Patients can upload images there and get a medical opinion without having to go to a practice. This reduces the workload for both patients and doctors. At the same time, platforms help to deal with the shortage of doctors. And it pays off for health insurance companies in the form of lower costs.
Handelsblatt Research Institute
Is the influence of artificial intelligence also increasing?
