Karsten Wildberger, Germany's minister overseeing digital transformation and governmental modernization, said that the government is taking proactive endeavors to digitize the nation through AI technologies.
According to Karsten Wildberger, Germany's minister for digital transformation and government modernization, digital transformation is of utmost importance and AI will play a crucial role in shaping the country's future, according to reports.
Global leaders and technology specialists have gathered in Dubai for the World Governments Summit, with a focus on technology that is emphasizing artificial intelligence and digitalization.
Karsten remarked that Germany is actively pursuing the modernization of government services alongside the expansion of AI utilization. His remarks coincide with the unveiling of an underground artificial intelligence facility in Munich by Germany, with the goal of establishing a domestic AI industry in the country.
“I would say AI is actually the next technology that we can use to leapfrog, and that we're doing that. So we're applying AI at scale in the government, and so we want to accelerate this”.
Despite this progress, he said more work is needed to make rules and laws more “innovation-friendly”.
“We've taken the first steps, but I think I would like us to do much more of that,” said Wildberger.
He emphasized that Germany possesses significant strengths in areas such as research, industry knowledge, and data accessibility, all of which are fundamental to the development of AI.
“First, we have fantastic research, also in AI, and research institutes also in Germany, and that's something we're leveraging,” said Wildberger.
“Secondly, we've got fantastic industries with lots of domain expertise and lots of data. How do we use this also in the AI age?”
In 2025, Germany achieved a milestone by establishing 3,568 new startups, marking a 29 percent surge compared to the previous year. A significant percentage of these startups, exceeding a quarter, integrated AI into their foundational business strategies. This information was provided by German Trade and Invest, the government-owned economic development agency in Germany.
“There's a lot of innovation from the ground, and we need more of that,” he says.