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ifo study for the Munich chamber of commerce finds structural gaps in technology, administration and education.

The ifo Institute finds Germany poorly prepared for the AI boom.

An analysis by the ifo Institute, commissioned by the Munich and Upper Bavaria Chamber of Commerce, finds that Germany lacks key conditions to tap the growth potential of artificial intelligence. The ICT sector contributes only 4.6 percent to gross value added, and Germany ran an 11 billion dollar trade deficit in ICT services in 2025.

ExecutiveHR

RegulationNovember 2, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

Field experiment with 673 IT apprentices shows how generative AI shifts skill limits.

IT apprentices perform far better on university-level tasks when using generative AI.

A study by ifo, BIBB and the Technical University of Munich finds that aspiring IT specialists using ChatGPT scored about 70 percent of possible points on university-level tasks, compared with 41 percent without AI. Researchers tested 673 apprentices at twelve vocational schools in six German states.

ExecutiveHR

Work & CostOctober 29, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

ifo indicator points to cautious easing in job cuts, but no broad hiring wave.

The ifo employment barometer rose slightly to 95.5 points in October.

German companies plan to cut somewhat fewer jobs: the ifo employment barometer climbed from 95.1 to 95.5 points in October. Manufacturing stays cautious, while service providers and temp agencies lean toward hiring.

ExecutiveHR

Work & CostOctober 28, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

A patch deadline with a warning label, once attackers get the details hours matter.

Germany's BSI warns of critical flaws in PHP and calls for an immediate security update.

All known PHP versions back to PHP 5 are affected, remote code execution is possible. Developers released patches on October 21 at 4pm German time.

ExecutiveHR

Safety & SecurityOctober 21, 2026BSI

Research spending on pharma and chips pays off more than spending on cars and machinery.

German industry puts only 20 percent of research spending into high tech sectors.

An ifo Institute study covering 18 OECD countries finds Germany's high tech share of industrial research spending fell from 32 percent in 1995 to 20 percent in 2023, while the United States rose from 57 to 68 percent.

Executive

Markets & CapitalOctober 20, 2026ifo Institut

Germany hands the BSI enforcement power over cybersecurity rules for connected products.

The German parliament has passed the implementing law for the Cyber Resilience Act and named the BSI as lead authority.

Under the new law, CE marking will cover cybersecurity for connected products from December 2027. The BSI gains market surveillance powers, can demand fixes, impose fines and pull non-compliant products from the market.

ExecutiveSales

RegulationOctober 16, 2026BSI Pressemitteilungen

An ifo model calculation puts a price tag on restricted access to AI training data in Germany.

The ifo Institute estimates that stricter AI data rules could cost Germany 155 billion euros in value creation.

Generative AI could add 440 billion euros in annual value creation for Germany by 2034. If access to training data gets restricted, an ifo model calculation shows this figure dropping by 155 billion euros to about 285 billion euros.

Executive

Markets & CapitalOctober 13, 2026ifo Institut

Germany's chip industry earns well abroad, but domestic demand for high tech stays weak.

An ifo study finds that Germany's semiconductor industry reaches only about one seventh of the US industry's global footprint.

A new ifo study traces the global semiconductor footprint of Germany and the United States. Germany's chip industry reaches about one seventh of the US contribution but earns most of it abroad. Only 26 percent of German firms used AI in 2025, ranking ninth in the EU.

Executive

InfrastructureOctober 14, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

Berlin sets a fixed timeline for agencies and critical infrastructure to migrate to quantum safe encryption.

BMI, BMDS and BSI publish a guideline for the national rollout of the EU roadmap on post quantum cryptography.

BMI, BMDS and BSI have issued a joint guideline for the shift to quantum safe cryptography. High risk use cases must migrate by the end of 2030, with the broader transition largely complete by 2035.

Executive

RegulationOctober 12, 2026BSI Meldungen

One in six German firms reports AI driven attacks, almost none are prepared for them.

TUEV Verband and BSI find that only one in ten companies is ready for AI powered cyberattacks.

A study by TUEV Verband and BSI finds that 17 percent of surveyed companies report confirmed or suspected AI related incidents, while only 11 percent have dedicated processes for them. The top attack method is convincing phishing email, cited by 90 percent of victims.

ExecutiveHR

Safety & SecurityOctober 7, 2026BSI Meldungen

Carmaker sentiment drops further below this year's earlier low.

The ifo business climate index for German carmakers fell to minus 35 points in September.

The ifo business climate index for the German auto industry fell to minus 35.0 points in September, down from minus 22.0 in August. Order books and profit margins also weakened further.

ExecutiveSales

Markets & CapitalOctober 5, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

Electronics sector climate index keeps climbing while other industries lag.

The ifo business climate index for Germany's electronics industry rose to 24.8 points in September.

The ifo business climate index for the German electronics industry climbed to 24.8 points in September, up from 16.5 in August. The current situation gauge improved from 15.0 to 29.0 points, and expectations also rose.

ExecutiveSales

Markets & CapitalOctober 1, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

ifo economists say tariffs alone cannot fix competitive pressure from China.

ifo researchers find additional EU tariffs on China only partly effective.

An ifo study concludes that extra EU tariffs on Chinese imports can only partly fix critical dependencies and unfair competitive pressure. European industry sells about a quarter of its output outside the EU, where such tariffs do not apply.

ExecutiveSales

RegulationSeptember 29, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

AI-GENERATEDJob cuts in industry and retail slow only slightly.

Germany's ifo employment barometer rose slightly to 95.1 points in September 2026.

The ifo Institute reports a slight increase in its employment barometer, from 94.8 to 95.1 points in September 2026. Survey head Klaus Wohlrabe says the labor market is stabilizing, while industry and retail keep cutting jobs.

ExecutiveHR

Work & CostSeptember 28, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDGerman business confidence brightens for the second month running.

The ifo Business Climate Index climbed to 89.9 points in September 2026, up from 88.8 in August.

Germany's ifo Business Climate Index rose to 89.9 points in September, after 88.8 in August. Companies rated their current situation more favorably and expectations improved further. Manufacturing and services both turned positive, while retail and construction stayed cautious.

ExecutiveSales

Markets & CapitalSeptember 24, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDDigital tools at work strain manual workers more than office staff.

A joint study by ifo and IAB links more workplace digitalization to more sick days among manual workers.

Employees in mostly manual jobs take about 20 percent more sick days per year when their workplace becomes more digitalized. Office and knowledge workers show no comparable link, according to a study by ifo, IAB and the University of Konstanz.

ExecutiveHR

Work & CostSeptember 23, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDRed tape now outranks energy and labor costs as the top concern for German companies.

Half of German companies name bureaucracy as their biggest location problem.

The ifo Business Survey finds that 50 percent of German companies cite bureaucracy and regulation as their biggest location problem, ahead of energy costs at 27 percent and labor costs at 22 percent. The findings are based on 4,449 open-text responses collected in July 2026.

ExecutiveHR

RegulationSeptember 21, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDProduct safety becomes a reporting duty as makers of digital products must now actively report incidents.

The Cyber Resilience Act now requires makers of digital products to report vulnerabilities starting September 11.

Since September 11, 2026, makers of products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe security incidents through the EU platform CRA-SRP. Germany's federal cyber agency BSI acts as the national contact point and offers guidance for compliance.

Executive

RegulationSeptember 11, 2026BSI Meldungen

AI-GENERATEDEconomists push for fast action so Europe does not end up permanently dependent on a handful of providers.

Leading European economists warn that Europe risks lasting dependence on a few foreign AI providers.

A group led by Nobel laureate Philippe Aghion and former EU commissioner Margrethe Vestager published a strategy on September 14. It warns that European model developers together earn less than 2 percent of the revenue of just two US rivals, and calls for decisive action this year.

Executive

RegulationSeptember 14, 2026ifo Pressemitteilungen

AI-GENERATEDFewer firms plan price hikes, but energy costs could reverse that.

The ifo price expectations index fell to 21.2 points in August.

The ifo price expectations index dropped from 21.6 to 21.2 points in August. Energy-intensive manufacturers cut their pricing plans sharply, while service providers raised their price expectations slightly.

ExecutiveSales

Markets & CapitalSeptember 1, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDForeign demand and state spending outweigh the energy price shock.

The ifo Institute has raised its 2026 growth forecast for Germany to 1.4 percent.

The ifo Institute now expects German GDP to grow 1.4 percent in 2026, 1.2 percent in 2027 and 0.8 percent in 2028. Stronger foreign demand and higher state spending on infrastructure, climate and defense drive the upgrade.

ExecutiveSales

Markets & CapitalSeptember 3, 2026ifo Institut

State funding builds infrastructure for AI-assisted drug development in Bonn.

North Rhine-Westphalia is funding AI-assisted cancer research in Bonn with 25 million euros.

University Hospital Bonn, the University of Bonn and the Lamarr Institute are building a joint infrastructure for AI-assisted drug development with 25 million euros in state funding. The site is part of the 200 million euro AI4CancerCure.NRW network involving seven university hospitals and TU Dortmund.

Executive

InfrastructureSeptember 4, 2026Lamarr-Institut

AI-GENERATEDState politics positions North Rhine-Westphalia as a hub for artificial intelligence.

Hendrik Wuest calls artificial intelligence the next driver of prosperity for North Rhine-Westphalia.

Marking the 80th anniversary of North Rhine-Westphalia, Minister President Hendrik Wuest named artificial intelligence the next major driver of prosperity. He spoke with the Lamarr Institute during the AI26 conference in Bonn about research transfer and value creation in the state.

Executive

RegulationAugust 28, 2026Lamarr-Institut

AI-GENERATEDThe share of investment going to climate protection barely moves, despite rising need.

German firms plan to spend about 10.6 percent of investment on climate protection in 2026.

An ifo survey finds German companies spent 9.3 percent of investment on in-house climate protection in 2025, with 10.6 percent planned for 2026 and 10.5 percent for 2027. Service firms plan the highest share at 12.2 percent, retailers the lowest at 8.5 percent.

Executive

CompaniesAugust 31, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDFewer planned layoffs, but no clear hiring growth yet

The ifo Employment Barometer rose to 94.8 points in August 2026, the highest level since May 2025.

The ifo Institute reports the Employment Barometer climbed to 94.8 points in August 2026, up from 93.0 in July. Companies plan fewer job cuts, though overall employment is still declining.

ExecutiveHR

Work & CostAugust 27, 2026ifo Institut

AI-GENERATEDFirst contact now happens inside the answer, not the results list

ChatGPT sends markedly more visitors to B2B websites – from a still small base

A Demandbase analysis counts referrals from ChatGPT to tracked B2B websites rising from around 645,000 in June 2025 to 2.6 million in June 2026. The share of total web traffic remains small.

MarketingSales

Markets & CapitalAugust 17, 2026MEEDIA

AI-GENERATEDCompute capacity becomes a network operator's business line

Deutsche Telekom weighs taking part in a ten billion euro AI gigafactory

Chief executive Tim Höttges describes participation in the European tender as an option. Operationally, adjusted EBITDA after leases rose to 11.82 billion euros in the second quarter and the full-year guidance stands.

Executive

InfrastructureAugust 16, 2026IT BOLTWISE

AI-GENERATEDThe AI Act shifts from a legal question to an implementation project

The AI world congress in Bremen puts safe agents and AI Act practice centre stage

The IJCAI-ECAI 2026 conference returns to Germany for the first time in 43 years. On 19 August a representative of the EU AI Office sets out the requirements; an expert panel covers AI agents in public services.

Executive

RegulationAugust 16, 2026IT BOLTWISE

AI-GENERATEDOne forecast, two readings

Industry veteran disputes the forecast that AI will cost three in four media planners their jobs by 2028

In a guest column, Thomas Koch places the Gartner forecast that AI will take over most operational media planning by 2028 in context. Despite the expected upheaval his conclusion is largely optimistic.

MarketingHR

Work & CostAugust 14, 2026MEEDIA

AI-GENERATEDThe uniform look is not chance but arithmetic

AI images become distinctive through iteration, not through the perfect prompt

Generative image models deliver appealing visuals quickly but tend towards the middle because they work on probabilities. Practitioners recommend an iterative process using reference images and several tools.

Marketing

Models & TechnologyAugust 14, 2026MEEDIA

A large group builds a market product, not an internal tool

Vonovia backs Berlin startup Immoly in building an AI platform for property management

The product is aimed explicitly at external market participants – private and semi-institutional landlords and smaller managing agents – rather than at the group's own IT. A venture studio programme supports the venture.

ExecutiveSales

CompaniesAugust 13, 2026IT BOLTWISE

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Editorial principles

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Every story names its source and links to it directly. We do not pass on information we cannot trace.

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The United States sets the pace, Germany sets the frame. The other markets follow by actual AI activity.