AI Consulting for Businesses: Challenges, Solutions & ROI

February 11, 2026 Priya Shah – Business Editor Business

Berlin – A growing number of companies are discovering that simply adopting artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t enough to guarantee a return on investment. A recent MIT study estimates that as many as 95 percent of all AI pilot projects fail, leaving organizations with lost investment and strained IT resources. Now, a Berlin-based firm, TextCortex, is gaining recognition for a consulting approach that emphasizes practical implementation and measurable results.

The challenges facing companies attempting to integrate AI are multifaceted. According to the MIT study, 53 percent of decision-makers cite data security as a primary obstacle. Concerns center around generic AI models, like ChatGPT, that transfer data to the United States, creating compliance issues under German and European data protection regulations. Companies similarly frequently lack the expertise to properly assess the technical quality, scalability, and integration requirements of AI platforms, leading to poor vendor selection and projects that never reach production.

This lack of internal expertise often leads to employees independently utilizing freely available AI tools – a practice known as “Shadow AI.” While intended to improve efficiency, this approach introduces significant security risks and potential loss of control over sensitive business data. Some companies are attempting to address this by officially sanctioning tools like Microsoft Copilot, but without clear apply cases, training, and process integration, adoption rates remain low, at around 16 percent according to the MIT report.

TextCortex distinguishes itself by combining strategic consulting with technical implementation capabilities. Rather than offering generic blueprints, the company begins with use-case identification workshops designed to pinpoint areas with the highest potential return on investment, often focusing on back-office automation. The firm then provides a no-code platform to rapidly translate those use cases into practical applications, supporting a variety of AI models. Implementation is phased, starting with controlled pilot groups before a wider rollout, minimizing risk and addressing the “learning gap” that contributes to project failures.

The results, according to TextCortex, are significantly higher than the industry average. The company claims a 70 percent user adoption rate within the first month of implementation, compared to a 20 percent average. Clients reportedly realize an annual benefit of over €550,000 per 100 users.

One example is Kemény Boehme Consultants (KBC), a Munich-based consulting firm that struggled with inefficient internal knowledge sharing. Prior to implementing TextCortex’s platform, internal knowledge exchange relied heavily on informal channels like email and phone calls, and manually maintained knowledge databases suffered from poor quality and low usage. TextCortex’s platform reduced the time required to locate internal expertise from minutes to seconds, and improved proposal creation efficiency by 10 to 12 percent. Employee trust in AI collaboration increased from a rating of 8/10 to 10/10, while enthusiasm for AI rose from 25 to 67 percent. 94 percent of employees reported that AI had improved their operate quality.

“TextCortex is a huge help in saving time in this process, creating more comprehensive searches, and finding and effectively processing information more quickly,” said Felix Feuerbach, CEO of KBC.

TextCortex has received industry recognition, including a listing in the G2 Top 10 AI Products 2025 and inclusion on the Gartner Capterra Shortlist. The company emphasizes its commitment to data sovereignty and compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), incorporating features like a proprietary Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) infrastructure, a zero-data-training policy, and 174 continuously monitored security controls. Its client base includes major corporations, Fortune 500 companies with German operations, and leading companies across various sectors, from automotive to financial services.

The company offers a range of services, including identifying high-impact use cases, providing a no-code implementation platform, and delivering measurable cost savings. TextCortex is currently accepting inquiries from companies seeking AI consulting services.