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German Firms Slash Fax Use to 18% as Digital Tools Soar and AI Uptake Lags

Nearly all German companies rely on email and smartphones; a Bitkom survey finds employee skepticism hindering AI integration.

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Overview

  • Eighteen percent of German companies with 20 or more employees still use fax machines, down from 33% in 2023 and 30% in 2024.
  • All surveyed firms now use email regularly; nearly all employ smartphones (94%) as well as landline phones (93%) for communication.
  • Videoconferencing and messenger services are used regularly by two-thirds of companies, reflecting growing adoption of digital collaboration tools.
  • More than half of companies (53%) report employee skepticism toward AI, with three-quarters (75%) waiting to see peer experiences before implementing the technology.
  • Bernhard Rohleder, CEO of Bitkom, warns that postponing AI adoption risks firms losing their competitive edge and urges immediate implementation and workforce training.