AI Integration in Business: 72% of Executives Plan to Adopt AI for Specialized Tasks in 2025

Businesses want to turn to AI for more specialized tasks, but aren't always sure how

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of executives plan to embrace AI this year, with nearly a third prioritizing investments in core business areas, new research has claimed. Operations, workplace tools and specialized tasks like translation are all set to receive further injections of artificial intelligence in 2025, a report from DeepL (perhaps unsurpisingly) says. More broadly, the research explores how AI is shifting from experimentation to execution as clear budget allocations and strategic applications start to emerge. DeepL Founder and CEO Jarek Kutylowski stated more than half of C-Suite execs spend more than an hour every day dealing with ineffective communication, leading to one in four (25%) wanting to use AI for specific tasks like translation. As AI evolves from becoming a novelty to proving its uses across various business applications, DeepL says 2025 will be the year that companies pay more attention to how AI is bringing ROI-positive value to them. Market expansion (35%), engaging customers across borders (32%) and customer service (24%) were cited among the top language obstacles faced by businesses, with leaders in the Netherlands (30%), Germany (29%), Belgium (28%), France (26%) and the US (25%) showing the highest commitment to AI spend this year to tackle these challenges. Kutylowski summarized: "To address this, what we're seeing through our research is that businesses are increasingly turning to AI solutions." Panasonic Connect Senior Manager Shoji Otsubo added: "In order to communicate with people from other countries, naturally, we have to use English, and it's always urgent. It used to take staff up to half a day to translate a document created in Japanese into English. Now that we are using DeepL, we can do this task very fast." Rather than threatening to displace human workers, language AI has been observed supporting external translation agencies (32%), supporting in-house translation teams (31%) and embedded into key products (26%), proving its position as a human aid and productivity booster.

DeepL survey: 72% of executives plan to integrate AI in 2025

A new survey from DeepL reveals that 72% of executives plan to integrate AI into their daily operations in 2025, with 25% targeting specialized applications such as translation. The findings, outlined in DeepL's latest white paper, explore the role of Language AI in business communication and the impact of AI-driven solutions on global enterprises. communication barriers challenge global businesses As businesses expand internationally, language barriers have emerged as a major challenge. The survey found that: European businesses operating in multilingual markets face the most pressure. In Belgium (45%), Germany (41%), and the UK (44%), executives identified market expansion as their biggest linguistic challenge. Meanwhile, France (42%), the US (38%), and Belgium (38%) reported the most significant obstacles in serving foreign customers. The survey underscores the increasing reliance on AI-driven translation solutions to enhance communication. Companies are using AI alongside human expertise to navigate high-stakes industries such as legal and manufacturing, where precise translation is critical. Executives reported integrating Language AI in three key ways: "English has become the default language for global business, yet only 20% of the world speaks it fluently," said Jarek Kutylowski, CEO of DeepL. "Our research shows that companies are increasingly turning to AI solutions to bridge communication gaps and improve efficiency." The findings also highlight internal language barriers within multinational organizations. Companies in the Netherlands (31%) and France (25%) reported the highest pressure to improve communication between multilingual teams. This aligns with a 2024 Forbes study, which found that half of all knowledge workers struggle with communication challenges in the workplace. Shoji Otsubo, senior manager at Panasonic Connect, emphasized the efficiency gains from AI-powered translation: "Previously, translating a document from Japanese to English took staff up to half a day. With DeepL, this process is now significantly faster."