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  "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)"
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  "datePublished": "2026-07-31",
  "dateModified": "2026-08-03",
  "language": "en",
  "jel": [
    "O33",
    "L25",
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  "keywords": [
    "artificial intelligence",
    "technology adoption",
    "firm size",
    "sector heterogeneity",
    "Germany",
    "European Union",
    "digitalisation"
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