Adoption of artificial intelligence is rapidly accelerating across the German economy, according to a new survey released by Bitkom, the German Association for Information Technology, Media and Telecommunications. The research indicates a significant surge in AI utilization, with approximately one-third (36%) of companies now employing AI solutions, nearly double the 20% recorded just one year ago.
Moreover, nearly half (47%) of German businesses are currently planning or discussing AI implementation, a substantial increase from the 37% observed in the previous year. The number of companies dismissing AI as irrelevant has plummeted from 41% to just 17%.
The survey reflects a growing consensus regarding AI’s long-term significance. A majority (51%) now believe that companies failing to adopt AI face an uncertain future – up from 48% last year. The perception of AI as a fleeting hype has also diminished notably, with only 17% holding that view compared to 26% in 2024.
Businesses are increasingly viewing AI as an opportunity, with 83% recognizing its potential, a significant rise from 78% a year prior and 68% in 2023. While concerns around risk remain, they are diminishing; only 14% view AI primarily as a risk and a mere 1% do not anticipate any impact on their operations. A quarter (24%) expect AI to transform their business models, while 23% express concerns that it could jeopardize their company’s existence.
Investment in AI is slated to increase significantly. Eight percent of companies currently utilizing AI plan to substantially increase their investment this year, while another 21% intend to increase their spending. Only 5% are considering scaling back investment. A majority (60%) anticipate maintaining AI investment at similar levels to the previous year.
AI implementation is being broadly applied across departments. The most common uses are in customer interaction (88%) and marketing and communications (57%). Research and development (21%), production processes (20%), controlling and accounting (17%), human resources (14%) and internal knowledge management (11%) also represent areas of significant application.
AI’s presence remains limited in management, legal and tax departments and sales, with penetration at five percent or less. Approximately one in eight companies (12%) incorporating AI are integrating it into their products and services.
The current level of implementation often involves a limited number of applications per company; a quarter of AI adopters utilize only one application, another 27% use two and 24% use three. The data is based on a Bitkom Research survey conducted via telephone, encompassing 604 companies in Germany with 20 or more employees during calendar weeks 27 to 32.
