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.
- Medium confidence
- 3 primary sources
- 2026
- Last checked
Every study on one scale
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
| 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 ↗ |
| 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 ↗ |
| 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 ↗ |
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).
| 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 ↗ |
| 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 ↗ |
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).
| 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 ↗ |
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-345–42%Which EU countries' companies use AI the most and least?
- F-359–37%What share of workers in each EU country use generative AI for work?
- F-367–17 ptsHow does AI use at work in Europe compare with the US?
- F-3748–86%How do European workers feel about AI at work?
- F-3828%How ready are European companies for the EU AI Act?
- F-4012–14×How does AI investment in Europe compare with the US?
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