“Artificial intelligence can improve production processes, prevent errors and save costs. However, in addition to a lack of time and expertise, complex regulation and the resulting legal uncertainties are the main reasons why the use of AI in German industry has so far been rather hesitant,” says Lukas Spohr, expert for manufacturing and Industry 4.0 at Bitkom. 9 out of 10 companies (88 percent) also believe that politicians should not stifle AI innovations through over-regulation.
The use of AI in energy management is seen as particularly promising – 85 percent of German industry sees great opportunities here. Companies also expect positive effects in the fields of robotics (74%), analytics (73%) and warehouse management (72%). For the configuration of machines, 7 out of 10 companies see potential in the use of AI (70 percent), while 58 percent expect potential benefits in quality management. In programming (52%), design (52%) and project planning/technical management (51%), more than half of companies also recognize the opportunities of AI use for their own industry.
Note on methodology
The data is based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. This involved a telephone survey of 552 industrial companies in the manufacturing sector in Germany with 100 or more employees. The survey took place in the period from week 4 to week 8 2025. The survey is representative. The questions were: “To what extent do the following statements about AI in industry apply to your company or in your opinion?” and “How do you assess the potential of AI in the following areas of application, especially in industry?”.
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Further links
👉 www.bitkom.org
Photo: pixabay
