KI-Denkraum

Quarterly report · Edition Q3 2026

Quarterly report Q3 2026

What companies implemented with AI from July to September 2026 and how they govern their AI transformation, selected by the editorial team from the podcast conversations of the quarter. You see in little time where others stand and can place your own organisation.

Period of the conversations
July to September 2026
AI use cases from six areas
94
organisations and how they govern AI
25
podcast conversations the selection was made from
337

€790plus VAT · for the whole organisation · as PDF and online

What the quarterly report is

94 AI use cases · 25 organisations

Every card is a page of the report: where others use AI and how they govern it.

Early in the morning, a long train moves slowly through a gate full of cameras on the depot site; a carriage inspector sees the marked carriage on a tabletManufacturingDeutsche BahnRail transportCamera gates record the whole train
Production hall for personalised party supplies with tall, colourful shelves; in front, an enabler shows two colleagues from customer service a workflow on a laptopHow they govern AIcelebrate companyConsumer goodsCentral framework, decentralised implementation
A laser welding cell in a bright production hall; an engineer wearing safety glasses checks the image of a weld on a monitorManufacturingTRUMPFMechanical engineering, laser technologyCamera checks every weld
Marketing office of a hospital network in South Florida with palm trees outside the window: an AI sherpa points at the screen while the colleague from communications has her own hands on the keyboardHow they govern AIBaptist Health South FloridaHealthcareBusiness units lead
A girl stands barefoot on a digital foot-measuring plate in a shoe shop; a sales assistant kneels beside her with a tablet, and her mother holds small trainersLogisticsDeichmannShoe retailOver 12m pairs of feet measured
Meeting room high above a large chemical site: a buyer, newly trained as a domain AI expert, shows her head of department and a mentor from the central AI team her finished use case on screenHow they govern AICovestroChemicalsCentral framework, decentralised implementation
A head of procurement, arms folded, watches a monitor with many parallel conversation threads; in the background, rolls of adhesive tape in many coloursProcurementtesaAdhesive tape manufacturerAn agent negotiates small volumes
Project room in a machine tool factory: an initiator from sales at the table with an AI expert, security and legal; behind the glass wall, huge laser cutting machinesHow they govern AITRUMPFMechanical engineeringCentral framework, decentralised implementation
In the morning, a branch manager stands on the market square of a small town in front of her drugstore and compares a shelf plan with the shelf behind the window, while the weekly market sets up on the squareProcurementdm-drogerie marktDrugstore retailRange per store from correlations
Project room of an energy supplier: a mixed team from the business unit, IT, engineering and consulting works at one table; on the glass wall behind, ten project lanes, only the first of them filledHow they govern AIGASAGEnergy supplyCentrally led
In the cosmetics lab, a product manager shows the first draft of an eyeshadow palette next to a mood board; a colleague compares a shade on her handResearch and DevelopmentcosnovaCosmetics, brands essence and CatriceEarly market and brand checks on ideas
In a large, almost empty project room, three experienced IT people work at a table with an old terminal and a laptop; outside, athletes are trainingIT and SoftwareadidasSporting goodsTwo to three people, no big project
View from a gallery into the large atrium of a public authority with many office floors, the same chat window on many screens; in front, two employees from IT and change management are talkingHow they govern AIBundesagentur für ArbeitPublic administrationCentral framework, decentralised implementation
In a chemical plant, a process engineer looks through the sight glass of a reactor with golden liquid; a data scientist shows two almost overlapping curvesManufacturingCovestroChemicalsA model, not Six Sigma projects
Corner office at the headquarters of a family-owned company overlooking the factory yard: the CEO tries out the AI platform himself on a laptop, while his newly hired assistant with an AI degree points at a spot on the screenHow they govern AIDr. Wolff GroupConsumer goodsCentrally led
A cobot with a small camera on its wrist picks a single gear from a bin full of jumbled parts; a worker looks onManufacturingZF GroupAutomotive supplierBin picking with vision AI
Long meeting table high above a large marshalling yard: people from the works council, data protection, IT architecture and strategy negotiate together; outside, dozens of trains on parallel tracksHow they govern AIDeutsche BahnTransportCentrally led
In an anechoic test room with grey foam wedges, an engineer positions a freshly printed fan wheel in front of the microphone; a colleague brings the next oneResearch and DevelopmentMahleAutomotive supplierTwo days instead of four to six weeks
Bright meeting room of a cosmetics company: champions from the lab, warehouse, finance and product management show each other their AI applications; on the wall, large campaign photos of real peopleHow they govern AIcosnovaConsumer goods, cosmeticsCentral framework, decentralised implementation
An older man stands at the open old fridge in his kitchen and describes what he needs into his smartphone, his wife listens with a cup of teaProduct and OfferingOtto GroupOnline retailVoice advice instead of a results list
Classic wood-panelled meeting room of a private bank: employees from different business lines each place a card with a problem on the table, and the head of technology sorts themHow they govern AIPeapack Private Bank & TrustPrivate bankCentral framework, decentralised implementation
In a supermarket aisle with regional products, an employee photographs a piece of packaging with a smartphoneInternal ServicesREWEFood retailShelf photo, item online
A young couple on a used car dealer’s forecourt; the woman asks a question in the banking app while the salesman waits with the car keyCustomer ServiceCommerzbankMajor bankAsking in the app instead of on hold
Large open space of a software company on a Friday: many employees pair up between whiteboards; in front, a two-person team works on a laptopHow they govern AILexwareSoftwareBusiness units lead
In a bright car dealership with new cars, an employee at the service desk types a question into a form, a colleague next to her reads an answer in two languagesCustomer ServiceVolkswagenCarmakerAI draft, then two approvals
Seminar room of a technical university overlooking the campus: two employees from the legal department type their first question of their own into a laptop with a facilitator; in front of them, a large worksheetHow they govern AIKarlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)University and researchBusiness units lead
In a cosmetics factory, next to a filling line full of identical bottles, a marketing manager and an engineer holding a bottle look at about twenty ad variants on the tabletMarketingL’OréalCosmeticsMeasuring if personalisation pays
Large delivery hall with long rows of new cars; in front, an automation manager helps a fleet coordinator holding a car key to fix an automation on a laptopHow they govern AIFINNMobility, car subscriptionCentral framework, decentralised implementation
In the goods-in area of a fashion retailer, an employee photographs a blouse lying flat, beside it a monitor shows the same blouse on a model, the photo studio behind it stays darkMarketingBonprixMail order, fashionFrom photo shoot to image review
Corridor of a historic town hall above a city in a valley basin: staff from various municipal offices stand with coffee cups at high tables, a female colleague from the AI hub shows the AI assistant on a large screenHow they govern AILandeshauptstadt StuttgartPublic administrationCentrally led
An older woman at a desk in her living room puts pharmacy receipts, a form and handwritten notes into a large envelope; her husband hands her another receiptService DeliveryBARMERStatutory health insuranceOne agent per part of an application
Huge production hall of an automotive supplier with long rows of identical machining centres: a plant manager shows his AI app on a tablet at the machine to a female plant manager from another plantHow they govern AIZF GroupAutomotive supplierCentral framework, decentralised implementation
In a joinery workshop, the master craftsman shows a journeyman the newly published job advert on his smartphone; in front of them an empty workbench is waitingService DeliveryBundesagentur für ArbeitPublic administrationA glance instead of typing
In a bright law office, a lawyer weighs two printed rulings in his hands against each other; in front of him lies a notepad with a handwritten outline of the solutionService DeliveryKPMG LawLegal servicesTen to twelve more rulings read
Automated small-parts warehouse of a technical wholesaler: small robots move across a huge grid of hundreds of bins, a gripper arm repacks parts; in the foreground, a female warehouse clerk and a buyer check a flagged entry on a tabletHow they govern AILudwig MeisterTechnical wholesaleBusiness units lead
A young couple with a toddler stand in front of an empty brick terraced house; the mortgage adviser shows them an answer on a tablet, and the woman is delightedService DeliveryINGBankingAgent checks exceptions, human judges
Open-plan office of a retail group: a young AI Ninja helps an experienced buyer build an agent on her laptop; at many desks behind them, other pairs work in the same wayHow they govern AIOtto GroupRetailCentral framework, decentralised implementation
An investment team in a bright meeting room in front of a screen with three scenario curves, tall stacks of thick binders at the end of the tableFinance and ControllingViessmann Generations GroupHolding company, shareholdingsAim: deal scenarios in three days
Historic brewhouse of a brewery with copper brewing kettles: eight AI ambassadors from different departments stand in a circle, one of them, a woman, shows two colleagues something on a tabletHow they govern AIHaus Cramer Gruppe (Warsteiner)Consumer goods and foodCentral framework, decentralised implementation
Before a management meeting, a head of digital checks a printed bar chart with a pencil while a data colleague works alongside her on a laptop; marigolds are in bloom outsideFinance and ControllingWeledaNatural cosmetics, medicinesFrom preparing to checking figures
Large scanning centre of a health insurer with rows of high-performance scanners; in the foreground, a female process owner from the business unit shows an AI engineer a quality curveHow they govern AIBARMERStatutory health insuranceCentrally led
A young couple sits on the carpet weeks after the wedding, she holds the finished photo book with a group picture, on the laptop a mosaic of hundreds of photosProduct and OfferingCEWEPhoto service providerThe 200 to 300 best of 1,000 photos
Meeting room high above a city with office towers: six members of an investment committee from various functions listen to a colleague from a business unit who explains her business justification on a screenHow they govern AIHelabaBankingCentral framework, decentralised implementation
An older woman on her patio steps types a review into her smartphone, next to her a golden retriever lies on a new dog bed, her grandson strokes itMarketingZooplusOnline retail for pet suppliesReviews reach the shop faster
In a distribution centre, roll containers stand in a row, each loaded to a different height; a planner walks along them with a tablet while a warehouse worker wheels in another oneProcurementRossmannBricks-and-mortar retail with branchesForecast first, then the shelf
Home office in an old farmhouse overlooking green hills: a transformation lead draws the finance team’s workflow on a long strip of paper, beside her a video call on the laptopHow they govern AIGitLabSoftwareCentral framework, decentralised implementation
A banking specialist and an AI engineer mark passages in a sustainability report; beside them, colleagues from other departments wait with an annual report, a credit file and a binderService DeliveryHelabaBanking, LandesbankOne component for many report types
Raw materials warehouse of a manufacturer with hundreds of identical-looking sacks on pallets: a quality assurance employee compares a delivery note with the sampling instructions on a tablet, the Head of AI looks at the screen with herHow they govern AIUzin UtzIndustry, mid-sized manufacturerCentrally led
In an empty factory hall, a laser scanner turns on its tripod; a planner shows the point cloud on a tablet, and old cardboard models lean in the cornerManufacturingFreudenbergIndustry, materials developmentThousands of set-ups in under an hour
Staff canteen of a company headquarters, converted for a training session: around a hundred employees at long tables with laptops, two trainers at the large screen; in the foreground, an older female colleague and a younger male colleague look at a laptop togetherHow they govern AIRossmannRetailCentrally led
A head of sales in front of a monitor with a packed weekly calendar, next to her a colleague with a headset on a video callSalesHubSpotCRM and marketing softwareAn agent books 10,000 meetings
Car body production hall with dozens of welding robots along a line: a maintenance technician and a multiplier from the circle of active people look at a tablet together, she points to the proposed solutionHow they govern AIThyssenKrupp Automotive Body SolutionsPlant engineering for car body constructionBusiness units lead
At a table with product samples from merchants, an employee sends a chat message; a colleague shows the prototype that came out of it on his smartphoneIT and SoftwareShopifyE-commerce softwareUp to 50 per cent of PRs from chat
Workshop corner at the edge of an assembly hall for gripping systems: a female colleague from the Digital Office puts the roof on a house of wooden blocks, a young technician asks questions with his arms foldedHow they govern AISCHUNKMechanical engineering, gripping systemsCentrally led
Sorted policy booklets stand at an HR counter with no queue; in front of it, in a quiet seating area, an HR officer listens attentively to an employeeHuman ResourcesCiscoNetworking and ITHR agent using only vetted sources
Images generated with AI
Images generated with AI

What you have in hand after reading

Around 490 podcast episodes evaluated, the best on 130 pages.

  • You know 94 AI use cases from processes and products, ordered by six areas, each with company and result.
  • You know how 25 organisations govern AI: where the technology sits in the organisation, who decides and what they started with.
  • You place your organisation and get a feel for where you stand: by 94 AI use cases and 25 examples of how organisations govern their AI transformation.
  • You collect ideas for AI use cases for every area, showing how other organisations already use AI in processes and products today.
  • You start your own projects with the experience of others: what had to be in place and what they name as their lesson.
  • You get a picture of what organisations at the front are doing now: what they already use AI for and how they change their organisation for it.
  • You stay informed, not just once but continuously: every quarter with a new report, every month with the selected podcast conversations in the KI-Denkraum. The next edition, Q4 2026, appears in January 2027.

€790 plus VAT for the whole organisation

What the report looks like

Five pages of this edition, first the overview of all AI use cases. A click opens the page large, where you can zoom in.

All 94 AI use cases at a glancePage 3 of 130

Double-click, Ctrl and mouse wheel or + and − zoom in; drag to move, arrow keys browse.

Quarterly report Q3 2026

94 AI use cases · 25 organisations · €790 plus VAT for the whole organisation

What the quarterly report is

Quarterly report Q3 2026€790 plus VAT