{
  "schemaVersion": "i6eal.research-note-metadata.v1",
  "reportNumber": "i6eal-RN-2026-01",
  "number": "2026-01",
  "title": "Firm Size and Sector Gaps in Enterprise AI Adoption: Germany and the EU-27 in 2025",
  "abstract": "This research note uses harmonised Eurostat ICT-usage statistics to describe enterprise artificial-intelligence adoption in Germany relative to the EU-27 in 2025. The population covers enterprises with at least ten employees and self-employed persons in covered non-financial NACE activities. AI use is reported by 25.97% of German enterprises, compared with 19.95% in the EU-27, placing Germany eighth among member states. Adoption rises sharply with firm size in Germany, from 23.06% among enterprises with 10–49 employees to 56.99% among enterprises with 250 or more. Germany exceeds the EU-27 aggregate in each of eight displayed activity groups, with the largest difference in information and communication (75.38% versus 62.52%). The comparisons are descriptive, not causal. Survey flags, missing values and denominators are retained, and a reported German enterprise-definition break in 2025 limits longitudinal interpretation.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Ideal Syka",
      "orcid": "https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0106-526X",
      "affiliation": "i6eal / Syka Ventures UG (haftungsbeschränkt)"
    }
  ],
  "datePublished": "2026-07-31",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-31",
  "language": "en",
  "jel": [
    "O33",
    "L25",
    "M15"
  ],
  "keywords": [
    "artificial intelligence",
    "technology adoption",
    "firm size",
    "sector heterogeneity",
    "Germany",
    "European Union",
    "digitalisation"
  ],
  "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "landingPage": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/firm-size-sector-gaps-enterprise-ai-adoption/",
  "pdf": {
    "url": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/files/i6eal-rn-2026-01.pdf",
    "sha256": "e99dd9299b91378f2b490e35ce6e9de570d6c47f20271b450b9bb305a68a9c63",
    "pages": 7
  },
  "assets": {
    "analysisCsv": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/data/i6eal-rn-2026-01-analysis.csv",
    "metadataJson": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/data/i6eal-rn-2026-01-metadata.json",
    "bibtex": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/citations/i6eal-rn-2026-01.bib",
    "ris": "https://i6eal.de/research-notes/citations/i6eal-rn-2026-01.ris"
  },
  "sourceSnapshot": {
    "dataState": "2026-06-15",
    "compiledAt": "2026-07-22T09:24:40.000Z",
    "observationCount": 2352,
    "observationsSha256": "deb24378178c9516022cee047b12c00403d6c6abb58e2d4b976d88af1f12ed1d",
    "methodologySha256": "9065af2e731ab1228938b16d2b5041e3ab7edab4cab07e28877213ea01e17d53"
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "name": "Eurostat — ICT usage in enterprises (isoc_eb_ai)",
      "doi": "10.2908/ISOC_EB_AI",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.2908/ISOC_EB_AI"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eurostat — AI use by economic activity (isoc_eb_ain2)",
      "doi": "10.2908/ISOC_EB_AIN2",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.2908/ISOC_EB_AIN2"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eurostat — ICT usage in enterprises metadata",
      "url": "https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/cache/metadata/en/isoc_e_esms.htm"
    },
    {
      "name": "Destatis — Enterprises using artificial-intelligence technologies by employment size class",
      "url": "https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Unternehmen/IKT-in-Unternehmen-IKT-Branche/Tabellen/ikti-unternehmen-kuenstliche-intelligenz.html"
    }
  ]
}