Bitkom Study: Every Seventh Company Has AI Write Employment References

Bitkom: Spread of AI in HR

AI is also increasingly being used in onboarding new employees. According to the figures, around every eighth company already uses AI-supported procedures to train new employees; a further 39 percent are open to such applications.

Bitkom President Bernhard Rohleder sees the figures as a trend toward greater efficiency in HR departments. He also pointed to the growing need for binding rules: companies must ensure that AI-generated references meet legal requirements and are fairly worded, said Rohleder.

At the same time, concern about overly strict regulation is growing according to Bitkom. Nearly two-thirds of the surveyed companies see EU regulation as a risk for their AI use; 60 percent fear that requirements could weaken the competitiveness of the German economy.

Regulation: Concern About Requirements

Despite widespread skepticism toward regulation, the companies recognize economic benefits: 83 percent of AI users report revenue increases, 76 percent report cost savings. Rohleder described the results as evidence that AI has long since ceased to be an experimental field and has arrived in everyday worklife.

The study was commissioned by Bitkom; according to its own figures, the association represents more than 2,200 companies in the digital economy in Germany. The underlying surveys were conducted between June and July 2026 according to the association.

Outlook: Further Increase Expected

The high share of companies that can imagine using AI points to further growth. Bitkom expects the rate of actual AI use to rise noticeably over the coming twelve months, driven primarily by applications in training, recruiting, and reference creation.

At the same time, the association warns against an uncritical adoption of AI results. Employment references are often decisive for a person's further career path and must be reviewed individually, regardless of whether a human or a machine drafted the text.

(axk)