German companies hesitant to invest in AI - regulations slow down progress

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While 73% of companies worldwide invest in artificial intelligence, the proportion in Germany is only 65%. Many companies do not yet see a clear benefit and fear regulatory restrictions.

Regulatory uncertainty slows down investments

According to a BCG study, 52% of German managers see the legal requirements as an obstacle to investment - the highest figure in an international comparison. In addition, 62% express concerns about data security, while 44% fear a loss of control through AI systems.

"Clear, practice-oriented guidelines on the use of AI are needed to remove barriers to investment," emphasizes Andrej Levin from BCG. There is also a lack of clear strategies: While AI is often introduced by technology teams, there is a lack of management involvement and success measurement. 70 percent of German companies do not yet have any fixed performance indicators for their AI projects.

Training and AI agents: Germany remains cautious

Although the EU's AI Act stipulates mandatory AI training, only a third of companies have trained more than 25 percent of their employees. This puts Germany behind countries such as Singapore and Japan. Nevertheless, 95% of companies do not expect AI to lead to job losses, but are instead focusing on further training.

Germany is also cautious when it comes to using AI agents to automate business processes: only 30 percent of companies are considering introducing them - less than in the USA (37 percent) or Spain (38 percent).

Conclusion: AI remains a topic of the future, but Germany is lagging behind

For the study, 1,800 managers from 19 countries were surveyed, including 200 from Germany. While other nations are already establishing AI as a growth driver, German companies remain cautious. Future success depends on whether legal framework conditions are adapted and strategic integration processes are improved.

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