A large majority of Germans perceive threats to democracy stemming from the potential misuse of Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a survey by Forsa commissioned by RTL and ntv. Eighty-one percent of respondents view the risk of AI being misused and thereby endangering democracy as very or considerably high, while only 16 percent rate this danger as low or very low.
Worry is particularly pronounced among people over 45, where 84 percent see the threat as very or considerably high. Among those aged 18 to 44, the figure stands at 74 percent. Women tend to rate the risk slightly more frequently as significant than men, with 83 percent of women versus 78 percent of men.
Even greater concern exists regarding AI-generated or manipulated content. Eighty-nine percent of respondents are worried that they will no longer be able to reliably distinguish between real and fabricated images, videos, or news produced or modified by AI. This anxiety is especially concentrated among 18 to 29-year-olds, 97 percent of whom share this concern.
Turning to the job market, one in five employed persons in Germany is worried that AI might take over a substantial part of their current professional duties within the next five years. According to the survey, 20 percent of employed individuals harbor great or very great concerns about this prospect. Conversely, 44 percent report less significant concerns, and 36 percent have no concerns at all.
Significant differences appear between genders. While 25 percent of employed women are concerned about AI replacing their tasks, only 15 percent of men express this concern. Furthermore, 46 percent of men have no concerns whatsoever, compared to only 24 percent of women. Age also plays a role: 23 percent of employed individuals over 45 worry that AI could take over a significant portion of their duties, compared to 16 percent among those aged 18 to 44.
Meanwhile, the use of AI within German companies is steadily increasing. Data from the IT industry association Bitkom shows that the majority of companies in Germany are now using AI for the first time. Fifty-seven percent are already utilizing AI, up from 36 percent one year ago and just 20 percent two years ago. Another 38 percent are currently planning or discussing its implementation, leaving only four percent that view AI as irrelevant-a major decrease from 17 percent the previous year and 41 percent two years ago.
Despite this rapid adoption, most companies still view AI as being in its infancy. None of the companies using AI claim to be fully leveraging its potential; only three percent believe they are making strong use of its capabilities. Conversely, 28 percent of users state that they utilize AI’s possibilities minimally, and 59 percent utilize them not at all, according to their own assessments.
In general, doubts regarding the technology within the business community are diminishing. Ninety-one percent of companies regard AI as the most important future technology, up from 81 percent last year and 73 percent in 2024. Only eight percent see it as a massively overestimated hype, down from 26 percent around 2024. When considering their own businesses, 80 percent view AI predominantly as an opportunity, while 18 percent see it as a risk. Crucially, no company considers AI to be overwhelmingly risky, nor does any believe it will have no impact on their operations.
The survey also highlighted a significant degree of uncertainty surrounding AI. Sixty-one percent believe companies have no future without adopting AI (down from 51 percent in 2025, suggesting a slight shift or updated context for that year’s data). Fifty-six percent feel that Germany is falling behind in the AI race. Thirty-four percent worry that AI might jeopardize their company’s existence (up from 23 percent the previous year), and 31 percent expect AI to change their business model. Alarmingly, a third of companies already using AI (33 percent) admit that they are doing so primarily out of fear of falling behind their competitors.
