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.
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In which country is the company's HQ?
*
Please Select
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa)
Congo, Republic of (Brazzaville)
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte D'ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor (Timor-Leste)
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
The Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Holy See
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Democratic People's Rep. (North Korea)
Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao, People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federal States of
Moldova, Republic of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar, Burma
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestinian territories
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Island
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion Island
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Sudan
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland (Eswatini)
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria, Syrian Arab Republic
Taiwan (Republic of China)
Tajikistan
Tanzania; officially the United Republic of Tanzania
Thailand
Tibet
Timor-Leste (East Timor)
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City State (Holy See)
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis and Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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To which size class does your company belong to?
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Micro Enterprise (less than 10 employees)
Small Enterprise (less than 50 employees)
Medium Enterprise (less than 250 employees)
Big Enterprise (more than 250 employees)
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In which business sector(s) the company operates?
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Aerospace manufacturing
Automotive industry
Chemical industry
Consumer electronics
Energy industry
Food and Beverage industry
Footwear industry
Metalworking
Paper industry
Pharma industry
Rail transport industry
Shipyards
Steel production and transformation
Telecommunications
Textile industry
Tobacco industry
Other
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What is the range of the corporate market?
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Local/Regional
National
European
Global/International
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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.
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Industry 4.0
Topic
How much are you familiar with the term Industry 4.0?
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Never heard before
I know only the concept
I know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies)
Very familiar
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Industry 4.0
Topic
Which technologies related with Industry 4.0 do you use in your company?
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Sensors
Mobile devices
RFID
Real-time location systems
Cloud technologies
M2M communications
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Big data analytics
Other
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Industry 4.0
Topic
How much is the budget assigned to projects on industry 4.0?
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No budget assigned
Less than 10000 €
Between 10000 and 50000 €
Between 50000 and 200000 €
More than 200000 €
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Industry 4.0
Topic
How do you judge the Industry 4.0 adoption strategy in the company?
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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
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Industry 4.0
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How high do you consider the actual digitization state inside the company?
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No adoption
1
2
3
4
5
Fully adopted
6
1 is No adoption, 6 is Fully adopted
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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).
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Artificial Intelligence adoption
Topic
How much are you familiar with the Artificial Intelligence applied to the manufacturing sector?
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Never heard before
I know the only concept
I know the concept and main elements (e.g. technologies)
Very familiar
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Artificial Intelligence
Topic
How do you judge the Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption strategy in the company?
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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
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Artificial Intelligence
Topic
How is the actual level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption inside the company?
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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
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Artificial Intelligence
Topic
Where Artificial Intelligence is currently applied in your processes?
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Quality control and inspections
Product design
Planning and forecasting optimization
Workers monitoring and safety
Warehouse optimization
Predictive maintenance
Prescriptive maintenance
Scheduling optimization
Machines and robot behavior optimization
Other
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Artificial Intelligence
Topic
How is the desired level of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption inside the company?
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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
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Artificial Intelligence
Topic
Where do you would like to apply Artificial Intelligence in your company?
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Quality control and inspections
Product design
Planning and forecasting optimization
Workers monitoring and safety
Warehouse optimization
Predictive maintenance
Prescriptive maintenance
Scheduling optimization
Machines and robot behavior optimization
Other
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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?
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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
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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.
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Smart factory
Topic
Do the machines and equipment in your company integrate sensors to monitor processes and/or machines status?
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We do not have machines
No, machines have not any sensor
Yes, few machines have sensors
Yes, all our machines are sensorized
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Smart factory
Topic
What is the actual level of automation inside the company?
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No automation
1
2
3
4
5
Full automation
6
1 is No automation, 6 is Full automation
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Smart factory
Topic
What is the desired level of automation inside the company?
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No automation
1
2
3
4
5
Full automation
6
1 is No automation, 6 is Full automation
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Smart factory
Topic
Are the automation system (e.g. machines) authorized to make decision based on the data detected?
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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
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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.
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Data strategy
Topic
How important is collecting data in your business?
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Data are not necessary
1
2
3
4
5
Business is based on data
6
1 is Data are not necessary, 6 is Business is based on data
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Data strategy
Topic
Is the company able to collect data from the processes and machines inside the company?
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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
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Data strategy
Topic
Which of the following data are collected during production?
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Rows
They are not relevant
No, but would like
Yes manually
Yes, automatically
Inventory data
Workers data
Process events data
Machines and equipment data
Quality data
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Data strategy
Topic
How is the data collected used for?
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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
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Data strategy
Topic
Have you ever heard of the ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management System Standard)?
*
Yes
No
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Data strategy
Topic
Are the rules, policies and standard that govern which data is collected, how they are stored and arranged well defined?
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No
Yes, we have internal rules, policies and procedures
Yes, we are certified ISO 27001
Other
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Data strategy
Topic
Does the company share its data along the supply chain?
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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
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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.
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Organization
Topic
Is a motivational goal system used to encourage employees to contribute all the skills at their disposal to the organization?
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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
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How much is the budget dedicated every year to innovation?
*
Rows
Products
Services
Processes
Business model
Budget [€]
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Organization
Topic
Has part of the budget of the next 3 years been allocated for the adoption of AI solutions?
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No
Yes, less than 10000 €
Yes, between 10000 and 50000 €
Yes,between 50000 and 200000 €
Yes, more than 200000 €
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Organization
Topic
Have you got roles or positions that specifically target industry 4.0 or AI adoption in your company?
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No
No, but we would like to introduce them
Yes
Other
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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.
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Human resources
Topic
How does the company identifies the skills of the worker?
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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
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Human resources
Topic
Does the company promote the skill level improvement of the workers?
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Not at all
1
2
3
4
5
Extensively
6
1 is Not at all, 6 is Extensively
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Human resources
Topic
To what extent are employees equipped with relevant skills for Artificial Intelligence?
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They are not ready
1
2
3
4
5
All across the business
6
1 is They are not ready, 6 is All across the business
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Human resources
Topic
Do individuals have the ability to actively learn and adapt to AI solutions?
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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
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Human resources
Topic
What will be the company's actions to train the personnel in case of adoption of Industry 4.0 solutions?
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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
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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.
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Culture
Topic
To what extent are workers encouraged to continue with internal projects aimed at promoting innovation?
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No time for
1
2
3
4
5
>20% of the time
6
1 is No time for, 6 is >20% of the time
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Culture
Topic
How the change is perceived inside the company?
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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
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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
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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
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