Denmark's GenAI Paradox: From Lagging to Leading

By Thomas Foege, Marianne Dahl, Gertie Find Laerkholm, Christian Gabe, Mette Lindgaard, and Daniel Sack

Reading time: 3 min

Key Takeaways

• An overwhelming majority of Danish executives, 81%, foresee GenAI having a positive impact on their businesses, with 50% anticipating it to be a transformative force.
• Despite the high expectations, only 5% of companies are moving beyond the pilot stage, and only 21% are planning to use the full breadth of GenAI opportunities.
• Although 71% of companies see insufficient talent as a bottleneck (concern/roadblock), 55% of those companies are not even planning any of the proposed workforce and people enablers.

Overview

The most extensive Nordic survey to date has been performed to investigate the adoption and application of Generative AI (GenAI) by Danish companies, yielding a comprehensive analysis of how businesses are interacting with and harnessing the power of this innovative technology. Including responses from more than 572 Danish company executives and senior management across all industries and company sizes, the survey presents us with a representative picture of the full Danish industry.

The Next Frontier of Innovation

Generative AI (GenAI) represents one of the most significant technological breakthroughs of the modern era. By harnessing the power of large language models and machine learning, GenAI has the potential to fundamentally reshape how businesses operate and deliver value. As an innovation leader, Denmark finds itself at a critical juncture—whether to fully embrace this wave of disruption or risk falling behind global competitors.

Recommendations: Defining Success with GenAI

Resolving this paradox requires an acceleration in how Danish companies approach GenAI. This report outlines key recommendations for business leaders to take ownership and articulate a bold vision based on different company archetypes identified.

What we learn from visionary executors:

• Gain sufficient expertise to deeply understand GenAI's transformative opportunities and create and follow a clear vision.
• Avoid isolated use case pilots and let an overarching vision guide strategic roadmaps.
• Proactively design technological and process enablers before scaling efforts.
• Define the target IT landscape and integration approach to reduce future challenges.
• Prioritize high-impact use cases for tangible outcomes from the vision.

Companies that simply explore GenAI through discrete proof-of-concepts will fail to realize its full potential. Successful implementation requires committed leadership to point the entire organization toward an ambitious future state.

Sustaining Denmark's Innovation Edge

GenAI will be vital for sustaining Denmark's edge in innovation and global competitiveness. Companies cannot afford to be passive or move incrementally on adoption.

This comprehensive report equips Danish leaders to get ahead of the curve—pinpointing risks and barriers while providing a detailed blueprint to overcome them. Those who take action will be positioned to thrive in the Age of Generative AI. Those who delay will inevitably be disrupted and left behind by more decisive competitors.

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Authors

Thomas Foege

Managing Director & Partner

Copenhagen

Marianne Dahl

Managing Director & Partner

Copenhagen

Gertie Find Laerkholm

Managing Director & Partner

Copenhagen

Christian Gabe

Managing Director, BCG Platinion/COO Nordic System

Copenhagen

Mette Lindgaard

Managing Director & Partner

Copenhagen

Daniel Sack

Managing Director & Partner

Stockholm

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