AI adoption and industrial trends in Germany

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming the industrial and economic landscape in Europe. In Germany, companies are generating over 120 billion euros in revenue through AI-driven product innovations, with usage increasing significantly since 2024. However, geopolitical dependencies are emerging, as a study warns that Chinese AI models account for a majority of token consumption on the OpenRouter platform across the EU and in Germany.

Corporate adoption is shifting toward agentic AI, with companies like BMW aiming for AI-orchestrated operations by 2028. Despite this, governance remains a challenge, as decision-making is often concentrated in IT departments rather than executive leadership.

In the consumer goods sector, the industry leads the 2026 competitiveness index despite declining from previous years. Companies face rising cost pressures and a need for increased operational speed. While 74 percent of these companies recognize artificial intelligence as a strategically relevant factor, only 47 percent are currently utilizing AI-based demand and inventory forecasting, indicating a gap in technological leverage.