Observed Signal · Oct 3, 2026 · Survey / Research · Source: t3n · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
AI in IT: 89% report productivity gains, but disparities persist
A new survey by Snowflake, involving 200 data and IT professionals from companies with over 500 employees, including 150 from Germany, reveals that 85% of respondents use AI daily. 89% report increased productivity and 87% say AI saves time rather than creating extra work. However, the benefits are uneven: 68% of executives feel a noticeable relief, compared to only 55% of non-managerial staff. Conversely, 20% of individual contributors say AI has increased their daily workload, versus 11% of executives. Looking ahead, 89% believe AI will further improve their company's working methods in the next two years. Snowflake's Germany Country Manager, Jonah Rosenboom, emphasizes that merely introducing AI tools is insufficient; companies must address foundational systems to fully realize AI's benefits.
The article provides insights into AI adoption in German IT departments, showing high daily usage and productivity gains, but also highlights disparities between management and staff. It is relevant to AdTech/MarTech as AI is increasingly used in marketing and advertising operations.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- 85% of surveyed IT professionals use AI daily.
- 89% report increased productivity from AI, 87% say it saves time.
- Executives benefit more: 68% feel relief vs. 55% of staff.
- 20% of individual contributors say AI increased workload, vs. 11% of executives.
- Snowflake surveyed 200 data/IT professionals from companies with 500+ employees, including 150 from Germany.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“Das AI-Data-Cloud-Unternehmen Snowflake hat diejenigen befragt, die aktiv daran beteiligt sind....”
“Ursprünglich wollte OpenAI die Leistungsfähigkeit neuer Modelle testen....”
“Besonders der Angriff auf Hugging Face erregte international viel Aufmerksamkeit....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Germany Misses Enormous AI Potential
Germany currently lags in applying AI at work despite widespread private use, according to the Indeed and YouGov Workforce Insights study covering roughly 80,000 employees globally. In Germany, 59% use AI privately, above the global average of 52% and leading major economies like the USA (53%) and UK (45%). However, only 46% use AI in the workplace, creating a 13-percentage-point gap to private use (global gap 8 points). About 34% report that AI has not been adopted or is insufficiently supported in their company, slightly above the global 33%. The study finds notable productivity potential: regular German AI users save about 1.7 hours per week (≈90 hours per year) and report 72% experiencing more automated workflows and 63% noting gains in innovation and problem solving. The results underscore the need for infrastructure, training, and strategic alignment to bridge the gap between employee readiness and corporate adoption.
AI Productivity Paradox: Leaders Doubt ROI, May Cut Budgets
A G‑P (Globalization Partners) AI-at-Work-Report 2026 survey of 2,850 executives across six markets (including the USA, France and Germany) finds rising scepticism about enterprise AI's productivity benefits. 82% of surveyed leaders say AI has reduced the value they place on human employees. Many respondents report no measurable productivity or employment impact from AI in recent years, and a large share fear employees may use AI to feign productivity. Nearly 70% say they are willing to cut AI budgets if 2026 goals are not met. The report also notes increased employee time spent supervising, evaluating or reworking AI outputs, which may erase expected efficiency gains.
McKinsey: German companies scale AI but lack ROI
According to the Germany edition of McKinsey's 'State of AI in 2026: On the Road to ROI' report, German companies are scaling AI broadly across their operations, but many struggle to quantify its financial return. 49% of surveyed organizations report that AI is scaled or fully rolled out, while 43% cannot quantify its contribution to operating results. On average, German companies use AI regularly in 4.3 business functions, higher than the global average of 3.5. While 63% report at least moderate benefits, only 14% see significant impact. AI is seen to improve productivity and reduce costs more than driving revenue growth. 36% of respondents have foregone purchasing a software product or feature because they could build it internally using AI coding tools. 24% have limited AI usage due to ongoing costs, yet 64% plan to increase AI investment next year. Looking at workforce impact, 46% expect AI to contribute to headcount reductions in the coming year, up from 17% who reported such reductions last year.
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