KITT4SME: survey on AI adoption in SMEs

Artificial Intelligence maturity in EU SMEs

The enormous transformation brought by the fourth industrial revolution in the world of production has forced companies of all sizes and sectors to embark on the digitalization journey. In this context, the exploitation of data to solve problems of disparate nature through Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is rapidly catching on but this requires economically and technologically accessible solutions for mass use. This survey is part of the activities of the EU project KITT4SME (ID: 952119) and is intended to identify the gaps that SMEs face in the approach to digitization as a prerequisite for the adoption of AI systems. This will help us better understanding the actual situation and what each sector needs to make this step through a total digitization and AI adoption. The survey should take from 20 to 30 minutes and you can only take the survey once, but you can edit your responses until the survey is closed. Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are required. The survey is completely anonymous.
We really appreciate your contribution!

If you have any questions about the survey, please email us: davide.matteri@supsi.ch or andrea.bettoni@supsi.ch.

If you would like to receive an email about the results of the survey and an assessment on your AI readiness, please complete with your email. Results will be shared by the end of December.
example@example.com
I give my permission to use my email address solely for the purpose of receiving survey results and AI readiness assessment. *

Yes, I give my permission. No, I do not give my permission.
I give my permission to use my email address of receiving future communication from the KITT4SME project.

Yes, I give my permission. No, I do not give my permission.

In which country is the company's HQ? *

To which size class does your company belong to? *

Micro Enterprise (less than 10 employees) Small Enterprise (less than 50 employees) Medium Enterprise (less than 250 employees) Big Enterprise (more than 250 employees)

What is the range of the corporate market? *

Local/Regional National European Global/International

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 has been defined as “a name for the current trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies, including cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing and cognitive computing and creating the smart factory”. It is characterized by, among others: (a) even more automation than in the third industrial revolution; (b) the bridging of the physical and digital world through cyber-physical systems, enabled by Industrial IoT; (c) a shift from a central industrial control system to one where smart products define the production steps; (d) closed-loop data models and control systems and (e) personalization/customization of products.

Industry 4.0

Topic
How much are you familiar with the term Industry 4.0? *

Never heard before I know only the concept I know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies) Very familiar

Industry 4.0

Topic
Which technologies related with Industry 4.0 do you use in your company? *

Sensors Mobile devices RFID Real-time location systems Cloud technologies M2M communications Artificial Intelligence (AI) Big data analytics Other

Industry 4.0

Topic
How much is the budget assigned to projects on industry 4.0? *

No budget assigned Less than 10000 € Between 10000 and 50000 € Between 50000 and 200000 € More than 200000 €

Industry 4.0

Topic
How do you judge the Industry 4.0 adoption strategy in the company? *

No strategy at all Pilot initiatives have been launched without a clear strategy We are defining a strategy in order to start the adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions We have already a clear strategy that is driving the company's activities in adopting Industry 4.0 Other

Industry 4.0

Topic
How high do you consider the actual digitization state inside the company? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is No adoption, 6 is Fully adopted

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is the field developing computers and robots capable of parsing data contextually to provide requested information, supply analysis, or trigger events based on findings. Through techniques like AI and machine learning, companies globally are investing in teaching machines to ‘think’ more like humans. Through the use of hardware, software or sensors which can use to monitor the situation of a process in real-time, a big amount of data connected to the single activity is collected so they can be used to have an overall view of the plant and to take the best decision immediately considering many different factors. However to reach this stage a digitization of the processes is required as shown in the picture below (Source Acatech Study).

Artificial Intelligence adoption

Topic
How much are you familiar with the Artificial Intelligence applied to the manufacturing sector? *

Never heard before I know the only concept I know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies) Very familiar

Artificial Intelligence

Topic
How do you judge the Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption strategy in the company? *

No strategy at all Pilot initiatives have been launched without a clear strategy We are defining a strategy in order to start the adoption of AI solutions We have already a clear strategy that is driving the company's activities in adopting AI Other

Artificial Intelligence

Topic
How is the actual level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption inside the company? *

We do not have any AI solutions and applications We have AI in single independent applications We have AI along entire processes We have AI across the enterprise Other

Artificial Intelligence

Topic
How is the desired level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption inside the company? *

We do not want to use it We would like to use AI in single independent applications We would like to use AI along entire processes We would like to use AI across the enterprise Other

Artificial Intelligence

Topic
Which are the main issues for your company that do not allow to use the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your business and/or operations? *

We don't have enough data that can be analyzed to better predict what's going to happen Employees are not ready, they need more training for using this new technology obtaining an improvement for the company At the moment, the cost of all AI tools are too high and the ratio cost/advantage is not good as other type of investment All the AI tools are still too complicated, we need a simple one that can be understood quickly by employees avoiding misunderstandings or difficulty to implement the solution Other

Smart Factory

The Smart Factory is a production environment in which the production systems and logistics systems largely organize themselves without human intervention. The smart factory relies on cyber-physical systems (CPS), which link the physical and virtual worlds by communicating through an IT infrastructure, the Internet of Things.

Smart factory

Topic
Do the machines and equipment in your company integrate sensors to monitor processes and/or machines status? *

We do not have machines No, machines have not any sensor Yes, few machines have sensors Yes, all our machines are sensorized

Smart factory

Topic
What is the actual level of automation inside the company? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is No automation, 6 is Full automation

Smart factory

Topic
What is the desired level of automation inside the company? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is No automation, 6 is Full automation

Smart factory

Topic
Are the automation system (e.g. machines) authorized to make decision based on the data detected? *

No, we do not want that No, the human intervention is fundamental Yes, but only for local adjustments Yes, they can take decisions on an high level Other

Data strategy

The increasing use of the Internet, smartphones, tablets, and connected objects across sectors and industries is growing the volume of data generated every second. Moreover, the data is easily accessible in near-real time, owing to a multi- connected and cloud world.The importance of data cannot be under-stated as it provides the basis for reporting the information required in business operations and it allows a business to make informed decisions by presenting data in a way that can be interpreted by management.

Data strategy

Topic
How important is collecting data in your business? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is Data are not necessary, 6 is Business is based on data

Data strategy

Topic
Is the company able to collect data from the processes and machines inside the company? *

No, data collection systems are not necessary No, data collection systems have not been implemented yet Yes, we are starting to collect some data Yes, we have a huge amount of available data but are not structured Yes, we have a huge amount of available and structured data

Data strategy

Topic
How is the data collected used for? *

Predictive maintenance Optimization of logistics and production processes Creation of transparency across production process Quality management Automatic production control through use of real-time data Optimization of resource consumption (material, energy) Process mining Distributed decision making across the factory elements Other

Data strategy

Topic
Have you ever heard of the ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management System Standard)? *

Yes No

Data strategy

Topic
Are the rules, policies and standard that govern which data is collected, how they are stored and arranged well defined? *

No Yes, we have internal rules, policies and procedures Yes, we are certified ISO 27001 Other

Data strategy

Topic
Does the company share its data along the supply chain? *

No, all the operations are managed autonomously internally Yes, but only with the 'near entities' (Tier 1 Suppliers and Tier 1 Customers) Yes, all the operations are integrated at supply chain level

Organization

The implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) inside the company requires the right organizational structure. The transition to AI organizations involves a left-to-right rethinking of how organizations run their operations, engage their customers, empower their employees, and even define their products. Each function in the organization can be redefined with the new AI toolbox. This refers to both the company’s internal organization (structure and operational processes) and its position within the value network.

Organization

Topic
Is a motivational goal system used to encourage employees to contribute all the skills at their disposal to the organization? *

No, the company doesn't use this motivational goal system No, but it's planned to be introduced Yes, employees have an incentive (monetary and not) but the threshold is difficult to reach Yes, employees have an incentive (monetary and not) and the threshold is reachable easily

How much is the budget dedicated every year to innovation? *

Products

Services

Processes

Business model

Budget [€]

Organization

Topic
Has part of the budget of the next 3 years been allocated for the adoption of AI solutions? *

No Yes, less than 10000 € Yes, between 10000 and 50000 € Yes,between 50000 and 200000 € Yes, more than 200000 €

Organization

Topic
Have you got roles or positions that specifically target industry 4.0 or AI adoption in your company? *

No No, but we would like to introduce them Yes Other

Human resources

The human resources must possess certain competencies in order to make the most of the captured information. Employees should be able to identify data sources and potential processing techniques; as far as the technical resources are concerned, technological features must be implemented to enable data collection and to process this data into information. In order to generate and analyze data and implement the corresponding decisions, the personnel have to know how the interpret the given information and how to apply them in the company context.

Human resources

Topic
How does the company identifies the skills of the worker? *

There isn't a particular assessment of the skills There is an assessment of some traits to better evaluate the better jobs for the worker The company performs a complete detailed assessment updated over time Other

Human resources

Topic
Does the company promote the skill level improvement of the workers? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is Not at all, 6 is Extensively

Human resources

Topic
To what extent are employees equipped with relevant skills for Artificial Intelligence? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is They are not ready, 6 is All across the business

Human resources

Topic
Do individuals have the ability to actively learn and adapt to AI solutions? *

No No, the largest part will not be able to learn and adapt to AI solutions Yes but only white collars Yes the largest part of the workers can do that Other

Human resources

Topic
What will be the company's actions to train the personnel in case of adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions? *

AI is not going to change radically the daily work so no training is been programmed at the moment The company is already training its employees on digital skills Continuous training is important and the company is going to program training session for who needs additional digital skills As Industry 4.0, digitization and AI is going to have an impact on the whole company, everyone needs an additional training to be ready for this change Other

Culture

Artificial Intelligence will demand a radical culture shift because it alters the relationship between machines and humans, changing machines from passive receivers of commands into informed, sentient collaborators. In doing so, it will also transform the skills that organizations seek to find and foster in human workers.

Culture

Topic
To what extent are workers encouraged to continue with internal projects aimed at promoting innovation? *

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 is No time for, 6 is >20% of the time

Culture

Topic
How the change is perceived inside the company? *

Any change is repressed Change is pushed by managers but it is not well receipt by workers Change is promoted by managers and workers positively accept it The company is fully oriented towards change and continuous improvement. Both low and high levels of organization contribute to change effectively Other

Culture

Topic
How do you think that AI adoption will be perceived by workers? *

No matter Perceived as a technology that could replace them Completely in favor if they perceive some benefits for them Completely in favor if they perceive some benefits for the company Other

Culture

Topic
How often does your organization review the shop-floor in order to identify areas for investment or needs for improvement? *

Less than every 3 months Every 3 months Every 6 months Every year Every 2 years Other
Should be Empty:

Artificial Intelligence maturity in EU SMEs

We really appreciate your contribution!

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence adoption

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence

Smart Factory

Smart factory

Smart factory

Smart factory

Smart factory

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Data strategy

Organization

Organization

Organization

Organization

Human resources

Human resources

Human resources

Human resources

Human resources

Human resources

Culture

Culture

Culture

Culture

Culture