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At the latest with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the significance and scope of artificial intelligence (AI) became evident to the general public. In December, following intensive trialogue negotiations, representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for the first time adopted guidelines for the regulation of AI under the AI Act.
Research on the digital economy at ZEW Mannheim is dedicated to these and other developments. The latest ICT Sector Report for 2023 shows that the information and communication technology sector is thriving and making an above-average contribution to overall economic growth and Germany’s future competitiveness. ZEW researchers also examine the direct impact of digitalisation on workers, including the increasing use of AI bots like ChatGPT in everyday work and the growing number of employees working from home. All of this and more can be read in this edition of the ZEW Monthly, focusing on digitalisation.
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| | | | RESEARCH ON DIGITALISATION | |
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↗ THRIVING ICT SECTOR: MORE JOBS AND INNOVATORS
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| The information and communication technology (ICT) sector is flourishing. Employment reached an all-time high and the sector boasts leading start-up and innovator rates in comparison to other industries. Additionally, the nominal turnover soared to an unprecedented 315 billion euros. Thanks to its dynamic development, the ICT sector is making an above-average contribution to both overall economic growth and Germany’s future competitiveness. This is the result of a study conducted by ZEW on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
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| More about the study
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↗ ENERGY SAVINGS AS MOTIVATION FOR DIGITALISATION PROJECTS
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| Over the past three years, about three-quarters of companies in the information economy and nearly 60 per cent of companies in the manufacturing sector have undertaken digitalisation projects. Companies now cite potential energy savings more frequently as motivation for such projects than they did in 2020. However, companies face several challenges in their attempts to improve their own energy efficiency. This was revealed in a representative survey of 1,500 companies conducted by ZEW as part of a study for the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
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| More about the study
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↗ PREVALENCE OF WORKING FROM HOME IN THE NEW NORMAL
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| Unlike before the COVID-19 pandemic, working from home has now become a lasting fixture in German firms. Currently, 80 per cent of firms in the information economy have their employees working from home at least once a week. Even within the more location-bound manufacturing industry, this number stands at 45 per cent. Firms anticipate working from home to become even more widespread over the next two years. These are the results of a representative survey conducted by ZEW among approximately 1,500 firms regarding the prevalence of work-from-home offers in the post-COVID-19 work landscape – the so-called new normal.
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| More about the study
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↗ ZEW ECONOMIST DOMINIK REHSE ON THE EU AI ACT TRILOGUE
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| On 8 December 2023, representatives of the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union reached a consensus on a new EU AI Act after several days of trilogue negotiations. This negotiation round was one of the last opportunities for an agreement before the 2024 European elections. Dominik Rehse, head of the Junior Research Group “Digital Market Design” at ZEW Mannheim, has commented on that matter.
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| Read the comment
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| | ↗ ZEW STUDY: CHAT GPT & CO. TO BECOME PART OF DAILY WORK LIFE
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| Chatbots based on artificial intelligence (AI) are already gaining widespread traction for business use in various companies. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by ZEW among approximately 1,500 firms. Looking ahead, 55 per cent of firms in the manufacturing industry expect to implement AI chatbots in the next two years. In the information economy, comprising the ICT sector, media service providers, and knowledge-intensive services, this figure is as high as 71 per cent.
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| | How to read the graphic:
In September 2023, three per cent of firms in the information economy estimate that more than half of their employees currently use generative AI such as ChatGPT, Bing Chat or Bard for business purposes. A total of 45 per cent of firms state that at least one per cent of their employees use such AI applications. The remaining 55 per cent of firms either did not answer the question or said that none of their staff use such AI applications.
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| | | | CURRENT ZEW TOPICS | |
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↗ GP VISITS IN GERMANY ARE SHORT, BUT FREQUENT
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| The contact between doctors and patients is a key factor for good care, especially in primary care. Yet, the ideal duration for medical examinations and consultations – referred to as contact time – remains a topic of debate in health policy and the scientific community. A recent study by ZEW, supported by the Strube Stiftung, reveals significant differences in primary care and reimbursement for primary care services among European countries. In comparison, Germany stands out in the data as patients spend little time during doctor visits but engage in a higher frequency of appointments.
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| More about the study
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↗ TAX SAVINGS PROMOTE PRODUCTIVITY AND INNOVATION
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| Tax considerations play a central role in M&A decisions. If the government restricts the buyer’s ability to continue utilising the tax losses of the acquired company, the number of mergers and acquisitions with companies likely to have accumulated tax loss carryforwards decreases by 22 per cent. These are the results of a study from ZEW.
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| More about the study
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↗ GIVING RECIPIENTS OF GERMANY’S BASIC INCOME MORE NET FROM GROSS INCREASES EMPLOYMENT
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| Making smaller cuts to social benefits for recipients of Germany’s basic income (“Bürgergeld”) who are willing to work more would increase their participation in the labour market, according to a reform proposal elaborated by the ifo Institute and ZEW on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
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European and national debt rules are coming under fire in the current discourse. In view of the challenges posed by climate change, demographics and defence, it seems astounding that politicians are imposing restrictions on themselves. Why do we not just free ourselves from the chains of the debt brake and the European Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) and use debt to finance our future?
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| Read the full opinion piece
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| | | 2023 MIFE CONFERENCE: THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL EDUCATION
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| The 2023 MIFE conference was dedicated to “The future of financial education”. It took place on 20 November in Mannheim. The conference was followed by a two-day workshop in which junior researchers presented and discussed their work. More than one hundred researchers and professionals visited this year’s conference and discussed research and visions on financial education in general and Germany’s financial education strategy in particular.
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| Read the full event report
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| | | | UPCOMING | |
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| | | IMPLEMENTING THE AI ACT: HOW TO ASSESS GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
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| The next ZEW Lunch Debate will take place on 24 April 2024 at the Baden-Württemberg State Representation in Brussels with Dr Dominik Rehse. The focus will be on the implementation of the EU AI Act, which will soon take effect. Key questions that are still open regarding the reliable assessment of weaknesses and risks of AI, confidence in corresponding assessments and adaptation to new developments will be discussed on the basis of the latest research findings.
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| More about the Lunch Debate
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| | | 22ND CONFERENCE ON THE COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
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| On 27 and 28 June 2024 the 22nd ZEW Conference on the Economics of Information and Communication Technologies takes place in Mannheim. The objective of the conference is to discuss recent scientific contributions to the economics of information and communication technologies (ICT) and the economics of ICT industries. The keynotes will be held by Maria Petrova (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain) and Tommaso Valletti (Imperial College London, United Kingdom).
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| More about the event
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| | | | → CONTACT FOR QUESTIONS OR SUGGESTIONS ON THE CONTENT | |
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| | | | | ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research
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Phone: +49 (0)621/1235-01
E-mail: zewmonthly@zew.de
Website: www.zew.de
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