Experts call for urgent action to boost Germany’s AI competitiveness on global stage

Germany is a leader in AI research, but lags behind the US and China when it comes to translating it into products, according to an analysis by KfW. According to chief economist Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Germany is struggling to translate research into applications. Germany imports significantly more AI products than it exports and is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign providers, Köhler-Geib told DW. Germany also lags far behind China (29 percent) and the US (27 percent) in terms of AI patent applications (6 percent). Professor Alexander Löser of the Berlin University of Applied Sciences also sees Germany primarily as a customer for AI services from abroad. Many local talents would work abroad. Strict regulations also hinder access to training data. KfW and Löser call for better access to data, more investment in AI research and development, and more training opportunities.