Artificial intelligence (AI)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing our work and society. Whether in industry, medicine, mobility, or administration, it increases productivity, efficiency and innovative strength. AI is therefore a key lever for Germany’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness. Germany has set itself the goal of playing a central role in the development and application of AI in future international competition by drawing up the High-Tech Agenda Germany.

Sovereign, secure and people-centred

The term artificial intelligence refers to computer programmes that can independently make decisions or solve problems based on data, pattern recognition and machine learning. Through various applications such as generative AI, robotics, and predictive models, it is used in almost all industries and areas of society. It facilitates things like self-driving cars, data-driven decision-making and personalised medicine. It therefore forms the basis for other future technologies that we are promoting with the High-Tech Agenda Germany. AI also offers opportunities for secure, sustainable and human-centred applications – for example in nursing care and environmental protection.

Our objectives

The High-Tech Agenda Germany pursues three key objectives in the field of artificial intelligence: 

1. With an AI initiative, we want to generate ten percent of our economic output using AI by 2030, increase labour productivity, and make AI an important tool in key areas of research and application.
2. We are measurably improving the availability and usability of AI capacities (algorithms, data, computers, software tools, AI chips) for science, research, business, administration and society.
3. We are becoming a key player in the next generation of AI and in global competition.

The potential value-creation for AI is enormous – in Germany alone, it is estimated to be up to 400 billion euros annually, ten times that amount worldwide. Germany is already considered a hub for innovation in AI, particularly with regard to secure, trustworthy, human-centred, and sustainable AI applications that can be used in areas such as the financial market, security, and healthcare. However, the slow commercialisation of innovations, the lack of necessary infrastructure and dependence on non-European countries for hardware and software are slowing down AI development in Germany.

© Adobe Stock/Dee karen

Our measures

The High-Tech Agenda Germany is addressing these challenges with concrete initiatives and support measures: From 2026, we will launch the AI Robotics Booster, which will highlight potential applications for multi-purpose robots and establish testing and training centres. We are bringing together AI developers and representatives from key industries and research fields to shape and promote the use of AI in business and medicine. We are supporting students, university graduates, and scientists in founding and scaling start-ups so that they can fully unleash their innovative potential.

In order to increase AI capacity in Germany, we want to bring one of the European AI Gigafactories to our country. Operations are scheduled to commence in mid-2027. In addition, we are increasing our computing capacities and expanding AI expertise at universities and non-university research institutions. We believe that free exchange is an important driver of innovation – through interoperable systems, free training data, and open-source solutions.

In order to play a key role in shaping the next generation of AI, we are promoting basic and application-oriented AI research and networking between these areas. To this end, we are launching new funding initiatives and a research programme for software engineering.

Outlook

Artificial intelligence offers enormous opportunities for value-creation, innovation, and social progress. The High-Tech Agenda Germany is tackling challenges such as technological dependence, and inadequate infrastructure by making targeted investments, and by expanding its own expertise and cooperation with European partners. This establishes Germany as one of the global leaders in AI development.