Haufe Group: „Wer wartet, verliert Spielraum“: Warum der Mittelstand jetzt in Start-ups investieren sollte

Haufe Group, a digital services provider based in Freiburg, is thriving while other media companies are shrinking. The company's business model is built around artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI, which it has been using for over three and a half years. The Haufe Group's venture arm invests in young startups, encouraging the German middle class to follow suit.

Birte Hackenjos, the business director of Haufe Group, explains that ChatGPT is not a replacement for curated professional content. The company offers expertise in personal matters, law, bookkeeping, and payroll tax. However, AI may not be able to fully replace these services. While some tasks like creating a birthday calendar could be handled by AI, financial matters like bookkeeping, tax compliance, and payroll processing are complex and require human oversight.

Hackenjos emphasizes that the Haufe Group protects its premium content from being scraped by AI providers. However, they make the content freely accessible on their channels, hoping this will increase their reach. Looking ahead, the company plans to introduce AI agents that can not only provide answers but also take initial steps in completing tasks, thereby making work easier for people within companies.

The Haufe Group has grown by seven percent in the last financial year, compared to eight or twelve percent in the previous years, defying trends in the shrinking media market. Hackenjos attributes this growth to their continuous adaptation to changing customer needs and advancements in technology.