Bitkom survey on the use of AI
Majority of companies rely on fee-based services
A recent survey by the digital association Bitkom shows that companies in Germany that use artificial intelligence (AI) predominantly rely on paid services. Two thirds of these companies pay for such services - either exclusively or in combination with free services.
Currently, 17% of companies in Germany actively use AI. Of these, 29% use only fee-based services, 40% use both free and fee-based offerings and 23% work exclusively with free solutions.
AI is used both to support the company's own business operations (61%) and in products and services (51%). In companies that are still in the planning or discussion phase (40% of all companies), the focus is clearly on internal processes: 84% want to use AI to improve business operations, while only 26% plan to use it in products or services.
Bitkom points out that paid services often come with additional functions and higher computing power. At the same time, companies should note that data provided by free AI services is often used for training purposes. "There are now suitable artificial intelligence offerings for companies of all sizes. With free AI services, the data provided is often used for training purposes and thus reused by the provider. Companies need to be aware of this in order to decide whether this is acceptable for them with the data used," says Susanne Dehmel, member of the Bitkom Executive Board. "However, the fact that the payment options sometimes have more functions and computing power can also be relevant for the decision."
The results are based on a representative telephone survey of 603 companies with at least 20 employees in Germany. The survey was conducted by Bitkom Research in the period from calendar week 2 to 7 in 2025.
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