BITKOM: Many use AI, but few pay for it

May 19, 2025

  • 8 percent of users of generative AI use paid services
  • 6 out of 10 want to continue using free services in the future
  • AI is now used to create images almost as often as text

Free services currently dominate the artificial intelligence market in Germany. Only 10 percent of German citizens who use generative AI pay for it: 8 percent currently use paid AI services, while 2 percent have done so in the past but no longer do so. Around one-fifth (22 percent) can imagine paying for the AI services they use in the future, but the vast majority (62 percent) have no plans to use paid AI. These are the findings of a representative survey of 1,005 people aged 16 and older in Germany commissioned by the digital association Bitkom. Overall, two-thirds (67 percent) of German citizens aged 16 and older use generative AI such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini at least occasionally. “For those who only want to ask a question using AI chat or create an image once in a while, the numerous free offerings are usually sufficient. They are also a good way to gain initial experience with AI,‘ says Lucy Czachowski, artificial intelligence consultant at Bitkom. ’However, paid AI services usually provide more powerful models that often lead to better results or allow largely unrestricted use. In addition, free services often use user input for training purposes. Those who do not want this must then resort to a paid version:

On average, those who use paid AI spend £16 per month on it. Of these, 17 percent pay less than £10, 27 percent pay between £10 and £20, and 57 percent pay £20 or more.

Compared to last year, there have been some significant changes in how generative AI is used. At the top of the list is text creation (86 percent), which also dominated in 2024 with 70 percent. Image creation is now almost on a par with this. 83 percent use AI for this purpose, compared to only 53 percent a year ago. Video creation follows at a considerable distance (19 percent), but is also being used significantly more often than in 2024, when the figure was 9 percent. Twelve percent use AI to generate music (2024: 3 percent). ‘AI models have become significantly more powerful in recent months. Whereas images could previously only be generated by specialised services, this function is now also offered by widely used free AI chats,’ says Czachowski.

Note on methodology: The information is based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. A total of 1,005 people aged 16 and over in Germany were surveyed by telephone. The survey took place between calendar weeks 11 and 15 of 2025. The survey is representative.

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