The global consensus is clear: artificial intelligence will reshape everything. But not everyone is ready. According to Bosch’s latest Tech Compass survey of over 11,000 people worldwide, artificial intelligence has officially won the popularity contest among emerging technologies—and it’s not even close.
70 percent of respondents globally now see AI as the most influential technology of the coming decade, a dramatic leap from just 41 percent three years ago. But the same people racing toward this AI-powered future are also reaching for the emergency brake. More than half the world feels ready for AI’s transformative changes. Yet 57 percent want a “pause button”, a chance to catch their breath and understand what’s happening before the next wave crashes over them.
“We’re seeing a rapidly growing number of innovative AI solutions worldwide that we couldn’t have imagined even just a few years ago. . It’s therefore not surprising that the number of people around the world who see AI as the most influential technology of our future has skyrocketed from 41 percent to 70 percent in just three years”, says Tanja Rueckert, Bosch’s Chief Digital Officer.
Germany’s AI Paradox
Nowhere is this tension more pronounced than in Germany, where expectations and anxieties collide head-on. 77 percent of Germans consider AI the most influential technology of the next decade,higher than the global average. Yet only 40 percent feel prepared for it, the lowest figure of any country surveyed. The contrast is even starker when you zoom out: while 71 percent of the world remains optimistic that technology will improve our lives, only 59 percent of Germans share that view. Only France is more skeptical, at 53 percent.
Where does this technology skepticism in Germany come from? Two further results could provide an answer: only 30 percent of respondents there say that the education system encouraged them to develop innovative thinking, and only 23 percent think that the country’s regulation successfully promotes innovation – putting Germany at the bottom of the rankings in both respects.
“The results of the Bosch Tech Compass indicate that we in Germany need to increase our society’s acceptance of innovations”, says Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.
A full 59 percent would encourage their child to launch a startup
A positive attitude toward innovation and risk is also a cultural issue: 59 percent of respondents worldwide would encourage their child to skip university and found a startup if they had a groundbreaking idea, but just 52 percent of German respondents share this courage to take risks. However, it’s only through this courage that the solutions of tomorrow are created. When people were asked about the areas that technological innovation should focus on, the top responses worldwide were climate change (37 percent), access to healthcare (31 percent), and cybersecurity (28 percent).
AI has the greatest positive and greatest negative impact
Not only will AI be the most influential technology of the next ten years, but it will also have the greatest positive impact on society – so say 43 percent of the survey respondents worldwide. Biotechnology and climate engineering follow at a clear distance behind, with 36 percent and 32 percent respectively believing they will have a particularly positive impact.
Respondents also see a downside, however: 34 percent rank AI above all other technologies when it comes to negative effects on society. Humanoid robots and self-driving vehicles come next.
“For us at Bosch, this is a clear mission: innovation must go hand in hand with responsibility,” Rueckert emphasizes. “That’s why it’s especially important that we introduce rules for trustworthy AI worldwide. At the same time, efforts should be made to avoid stifling the development and use of AI through overregulation.”
The Bosch Tech Compass surveyed over 11,000 people aged 18+ across seven countries in fall 2025: Germany, France, the UK (1,000 each), and Brazil, China, India, and the US (2,000 each). The survey was conducted by Gesellschaft für Innovative Marktforschung mbH (GIM).
