- Three quarters of companies and two thirds of the population see particular importance in AI
- The AI & Data Summit starts today in Berlin
Berlin, 25 September 2024 – Is artificial intelligence just a hype or a real future technology? In Germany, there is a clear opinion on this in both the business world and the population. Around three quarters (73 percent) of companies agree with the statement that AI is the most important future technology. Only 26 percent think it is an overrated hype. And in the population, almost two thirds (63 percent) see AI as the most important future technology, while 32 percent see it as a hype. These are the results of two representative surveys commissioned by the digital association Bitkom among 602 companies and 1,007 people aged 16 and over in Germany. “Germany can become an AI country. We have the innovative power to develop AI systems, and we need the technological openness to use them comprehensively,” says Bitkom President Dr. Ralf Wintergerst at the opening of today’s AI & Data Summit in Berlin. “We must now follow up this insight with actions. Companies must approach AI both strategically and operationally. And politicians must give companies the freedom they need when it comes to implementing the AI Act.”
Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Robert Habeck At the AI & Data Summit, the company emphasizes the opportunities that AI offers for the economy and society in Germany: “Internationally, there is tough competition in AI, which we are taking on. We are committed to making Europe one of the world’s leading AI locations – with new business models and broad-based AI applications in order to exploit productivity potential for our economy. We are focusing on an innovation-friendly implementation of the AI regulation. We are currently working intensively on this, together with the economy and stakeholders.”
Federal Digital Minister Dr. Volker Wissing calls for a rethink in European digital policy: “In Europe, we must once again rely more on the innovative power of the free market. This means less government intervention, no isolation and more freedom for companies. The best thing would be a moratorium on new regulations in the digital sector, because many complicated rules threaten to stifle innovation. The state should concentrate much more on its core tasks, namely creating clear and innovation-friendly framework conditions and thus promoting the use of AI in companies.”
Large companies attach greater importance to AI, while older people are the most skeptical
According to Bitkom, large companies in the economy often see the outstanding importance of AI. 89 percent of companies with 500 or more employees consider AI to be the most important technology of the future. For companies with 100 to 499 employees, the figure is 75 percent, and for smaller companies with 20 to 99 employees, the figure is 72 percent. “The medium-sized enterprise sector was and is the foundation of the German economy. That is why we must enable small and medium-sized enterprises in particular to use AI and benefit from the enormous opportunities,” says Wintergerst.
Among the population, 67 percent of 16- to 29-year-olds consider AI to be the most important future technology, while among 30- to 49-year-olds it is 64 percent and among 50- to 64-year-olds the proportion is 67 percent. Older people aged 65 and over are the most skeptical, but even among them over half (55 percent) see AI as the most important future technology, and only 40 percent see it as a temporary hype.
Two days of AI & Data Summit and Quantum Summit in Berlin
Concrete use cases relating to artificial intelligence as well as the opportunities and challenges of the technology are the focus of Bitkom’s AI & Data Summit and Quantum Summit today and tomorrow (September 25 and 26, 2024). At Kosmos in Berlin, the events offer an extensive program with keynotes and panels as well as workshops over two days.
Representatives from the digital economy include Agnes Heftberger (CEO, Microsoft Germany), Jonas Andrulis (CEO & Founder, Aleph Alpha), Dr. Philip Herzig (Chief AI Officer, SAP), Elke Reichart (Chief Digital and Sustainability Officer, Infineon Technologies), Christina Raab (CEO, Accenture DACH), Dr. Slav Petrov (Vice President Research, Google DeepMind) and Wolfgang Wendt (CEO, IBM Germany). Speakers from politics include Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, and Dr. Robert Habeck, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, as well as Mario Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The event will be opened by Bitkom President Dr. Ralf Wintergerst.
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