The result: According to Bitkom, 59% of companies see European data protection as an advantage for AI development in Germany and Europe compared to other countries. In practice, however, they experience the opposite. For example, in 2025, 69% of respondents stated that data protection makes it difficult to train AI models with sufficient data.
“The reality is: AI is not being developed in Europe because of our data protection practices, but the models are still being used here,” commented Bitkom President Ralf Wintergerst on the findings. “This means nothing is gained for the protection of European citizens’ data, but much is lost for Europe as a business location.”
Bitkom is therefore calling for a reform that strengthens data protection where real risks to people arise — and relieves companies of the burden where formal obligations offer no additional protection. Specifically, this means a consistent risk-oriented approach to the GDPR and a unified understanding that the training and operation of AI systems must also be possible in Europe, says Wintergerst.
