--- title: "How much do European firms care where their AI processes data? (53–66%) | The AI at Work Fact Book" description: "53 to 66 percent of European firms that engage with AI cite data protection as an obstacle, yet most German firms run US AI tools. Eurostat, Bitkom, BSI and TÜV, and DIHK." url: "https://evy.so/facts/ai-data-protection-in-europe/" last_updated: "2026-10-16" --- F-39 · Europe # How much do European firms care where their AI processes data? A lot, by what they say: 53 to 66 percent of European firms that use or have considered AI cite data protection as an obstacle, more than any other concern. What they use tells a different story: in Germany, 93 percent said they would prefer a German AI provider, yet 76 percent of AI-using firms use ChatGPT and only 35 percent use any European or German AI application. 53–66% of firms that use or considered AI cite data protection as an obstacle - Medium confidence - 3 primary sources - 2026 - Last checked October 14, 2026 ## Cite this EVY (2026). How much do European firms care where their AI processes data? The AI at Work Fact Book, F-39. https://evy.so/facts/ai-data-protection-in-europe/ (last checked October 14, 2026). CC BY 4.0. Copy citation [Data as JSON](https://evy.so/facts/ai-data-protection-in-europe.json) [Markdown](https://evy.so/facts/ai-data-protection-in-europe.md) ## How to read it Always check the base. Eurostat asks only firms that considered AI and passed, about 14% of non-users; across all EU firms the same answer is 5.8%. Bitkom asks firms already using AI. Stated preferences (which provider firms would choose) and actual use (which tools they run) diverge widely, so both are shown. There is no EU-wide official statistic on where firms want their AI data hosted. ## Every study on one scale Shaded: 53–66% One figure Chart values as text - Scale: % citing data protection as an obstacle. Shaded range: 53–66%. - Eurostat, EU (firms that considered AI) (2026): EU 52.7% - Eurostat, Germany (firms that considered AI) (2026): Germany 60.0% - Bitkom, German AI users (2026): 66% (AI users) **Why medium confidence:** Two independent creators with different methods agree that data protection is the top or near-top concern among firms that engage with AI. The bases differ sharply, the evidence on preferred provider origin is German only, and the one multi-country sovereignty survey is a vendor study. ## Sources Sources for F-39 | Study | Creator | Year | Sample | Method | Figure | Link | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Artificial intelligence by size class of enterprise (dataset isoc\_eb\_ai) | Eurostat | 2026 | About 157,000 EU enterprises with 10 or more employees, early 2025 | Official statistics; asked only of non-users that had considered AI (14% of non-users) | Data protection and privacy concerns: EU 52.72% (42.42% in 2023), Germany 60.01%, Spain 53.79%, Netherlands 47.34%; as a share of all EU firms 5.82% (Germany 8.97%) “because of concerns regarding violation of data protection and privacy” | [ec.europa.eu ↗](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/isoc_eb_ai/default/table) | | Artificial intelligence by size class of enterprise (dataset isoc\_eb\_ai) | Eurostat | 2026 | German enterprises with 10 or more employees in the same survey | Same survey and base | Germany 60.01% (53.01% in 2024); unclear legal consequences 62.22% | [ec.europa.eu ↗](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/isoc_eb_ai/default/table) | | KI aus China? Für die deutsche Wirtschaft praktisch kein Thema (press release, 9 September 2026) | Bitkom | 2026 | 603 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany, July to August 2026 | Representative telephone survey by the German digital industry association | Data protection requirements are the top obstacle for AI users (66%); tools used: ChatGPT 76%, Microsoft Copilot 35%, Google Gemini 28%, Mistral 0% “Vorne stehen hier Anforderungen an den Datenschutz mit 66 Prozent” | [bitkom.org ↗](https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/KI-aus-China-fuer-deutsche-Wirtschaft-kein-Thema) | Say and do ## Do European firms use European AI providers? Mostly not, in Germany. In 2025, 88% of German firms said the provider's country matters and 93% would prefer a German AI provider (firms could name several; 51% also preferred the US). In 2026, 76% of German AI-using firms use ChatGPT, and no surveyed firm reported using Mistral (Bitkom). Only 35% of German AI users use any European or German AI application, and 54% run their AI mainly in an external cloud (BSI and TÜV-Verband). Do European firms use European AI providers? | Study | Creator | Year | Sample | Method | Figure | Link | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Durchbruch bei Künstlicher Intelligenz (press release and chart deck, 15 September 2025) | Bitkom | 2025 | 604 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany, July to August 2025 | Representative telephone survey; several origins could be preferred | 88% say provider origin is important; 93% prefer Germany, 51% the US, 40% other EU “Dabei würden 93 Prozent eine KI aus Deutschland bevorzugen” | [bitkom.org ↗](https://www.bitkom.org/Presse/Presseinformation/Durchbruch-Kuenstliche-Intelligenz) | | KI-Sicherheitsstudie 2026 | Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and TÜV-Verband, survey by forsa | 2026 | 505 companies with 20 or more employees in Germany, June to July 2026 | Representative survey for a federal authority and the testing association | 35% of AI users use a European or German AI application; 54% run AI mainly in an external cloud; 93% rate data protection important when choosing AI “Bei rund einem Drittel (35 Prozent) ist dies der Fall.” | [tuev-verband.de ↗](https://www.tuev-verband.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Content_local/Studien_local/2026_BSI-TUEV-KI-Sicherheitsstudie.pdf) | Dependence ## How dependent do European firms feel on non-European AI? It depends on how you ask. 68% of German firms say they are largely or completely dependent on non-EU countries for AI (DIHK, late 2025), but only 30% of German AI users feel strongly dependent on non-European AI providers, and 10% call it a big problem (BSI and TÜV-Verband, 2026). How dependent do European firms feel on non-European AI? | Study | Creator | Year | Sample | Method | Figure | Link | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Künstliche Intelligenz, Souveränität und Resilienz: DIHK-Digitalisierungsumfrage 2026 | Deutsche Industrie- und Handelskammer (DIHK) | 2026 | 4,686 member companies of all sizes, November 2025 | Online survey of chamber of commerce members | 68% largely or completely dependent on non-EU countries for AI; 76% for operating systems, 55% for cloud “weitgehend oder vollkommen abhängig von Technologien, Innovationen oder Dienstleistungen aus Nicht-EU-Ländern” | [dihk.de ↗](https://www.dihk.de/resource/blob/163540/486d8384c94a630d9aa0eaa978f0a786/dihk-digitalisierungsumfrage-2026-data.pdf) | ## Numbers you may have seen These figures circulate widely. Here is what the original source says. - **93% of German companies want German AI (Bitkom, 2026).** It is the 2025 survey; firms could prefer several origins (51% also preferred the US), and it is a stated preference, not buying behavior. - **53% of German companies distrust non-European AI providers (DIHK).** The DIHK report has no trust question. It shows 68% feel largely or completely dependent on non-EU countries for AI. - **Half of EU companies avoid AI over data protection (Eurostat).** The base is only non-users that had considered AI. Across all EU firms, 5.8% cite data protection (2025). - **62% of European firms want sovereign AI (Accenture).** A vendor survey of large organizations that already rate sovereignty as highly important. It is not a cross-section of European firms. ## More from Europe - [F-34**5–42%**Which EU countries' companies use AI the most and least?](https://evy.so/facts/ai-use-by-eu-country/) - [F-35**9–37%**What share of workers in each EU country use generative AI for work?](https://evy.so/facts/genai-use-for-work-by-eu-country/) - [F-36**7–17 pts**How does AI use at work in Europe compare with the US?](https://evy.so/facts/ai-at-work-europe-vs-us/) - [F-37**48–86%**How do European workers feel about AI at work?](https://evy.so/facts/european-attitudes-to-ai-at-work/) - [F-38**28%**How ready are European companies for the EU AI Act?](https://evy.so/facts/eu-ai-act-readiness/) - [F-40**12–14×**How does AI investment in Europe compare with the US?](https://evy.so/facts/ai-investment-europe-vs-us/) [The whole chapter](https://evy.so/facts/europe/) · [Chapter poster](https://evy.so/facts/europe/sheet/) · [All of The AI at Work Fact Book](https://evy.so/facts/)