Czech companies and AI in 2024: High adoption, but persistent barriers

The results of the latest AImpact 2024 survey show that Czech companies have made significant progress in adopting artificial intelligence. While 80.5% of respondents already use AI regularly or pay for full versions of the tools, significant barriers still remain in the form of a lack of know-how and concerns about IT security.

Current state of AI adoption

The survey, which included 568 respondents primarily from Prague, the South Moravian and Central Bohemian regions, revealed the dominance of working with text-based AI tools. A full 87.3% of participants use AI for text creation and editing, followed by data analysis (60.9%) and creative collaboration (50.9%).

“Companies make a fundamental mistake when they see AI only as a tool for increasing efficiency or automating processes,” says Filip Dřímalka, a digital innovation expert and author of the survey. “Much more important is its potential to increase the value of human capital – to help people work not only faster, but above all better.”

What exactly do you use artificial intelligence (AI) for?

570 out of 570 people answered this question

• Creating, editing or translating text. (498 resp. 87.4%)
• Data analysis and work with data. (347 resp. 60.9%)
• Creative collaboration. (290 resp. 50.9%)
• Creating multimedia content (images, videos). (255 resp. 44.7%)
• Chatbots and virtual assistants (co-pilots). (244 resp. 42.8%)
• Creating new projects, products or services. (208 resp. 36.5%)
• Programming. (141 resp. 24.7%)
• Personalization. (113 resp. 19.8%)

Most used tools

Leading the popularity rankings are:

1. ChatGPT (301 mentions)
2. Microsoft Copilot (89 mentions)
3. Claude (71 mentions)
4. DeepL (68 mentions)
5. Midjourney (41 mentions)

Barriers to adoption

A surprising finding is that despite the annual availability of advanced AI tools, 37.7% of respondents still cite “we don’t know how” as the main obstacle – a decrease of only 3% compared to 2023. Concerns about IT security have increased significantly (34%), which may be related to employees often using AI tools without official approval from the IT department.

“Companies are very concerned about their data, but often it is very disproportionate,” comments Filip Dřímalka on the survey results. “Risk management is about managing risk, not eliminating it. For me, the benefits incredibly outweigh it.”

What prevents you from using AI more?

• We don’t know how to. (214 resp. 37.7%)
  IT security concerns. (193 resp. 34%)
  Lack of support from management. (125 resp. 22%)
  It’s expensive. (114 resp. 20.1%)
  Legal and ethical questions. (108 resp. 19%)
  Other (138 resp. 24.3%)

Support from organizations

• 44.4% of respondents receive training in AI
  37.1% have access to paid apps
  20.8% receive no support from their organization

Ambitions for 2025

A positive finding is the growing ambition to use AI. While the current average intensity of use is 6.2 on a scale of 1 to 10, respondents plan to reach a level of 8.2 by 2025. Almost 75% of respondents plan to use AI very intensively (8-10/10) in the next year.

Key recommendations for businesses

1. Invest in the best AI tools – The quality of tools directly affects work productivity. The difference between average and top-notch tools can be several times greater.
2. Build an internal network of AI ambassadors – Encourage community building and knowledge sharing within the organization.
3. Require AI adoption – Both from employees and especially from management. Research shows that companies where management actively uses AI achieve better adoption results.
4. Educate systematically – More than half of respondents emphasize the need for practical training and workshops.

Conclusion

Although Czech companies have made significant progress in adopting AI, there is still significant room for improvement. The key to success is not just choosing the right tools, but above all a strategic approach to implementation, systematic education, and a change in the way we think about the role of AI in the organization.

About the survey: AImpact 2024 was conducted by Aibility (formerly Digitask) with the support of Seyfor on a sample of 568 respondents, mainly from management, IT specialists and marketing professionals. A quarter of respondents also participated in the previous survey from 2023