Deutsche Telekom Highlights Five Priorities for Germany’s AI Competitiveness at Digital X 2026 as Industrial AI Cloud Expansion Accelerates

(IN BRIEF) Deutsche Telekom has outlined five priorities it considers crucial to Germany’s AI competitiveness following Digital X 2026 in Cologne, where more than 6,000 participants discussed artificial intelligence, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, AI agents and cloud infrastructure. CEO Tim Höttges called for broader AI adoption and confirmed that Telekom will continue expanding its AI infrastructure, including the Industrial AI Cloud in Munich. Figures cited from the German Economic Institute suggest generative AI could contribute up to €330 billion in additional gross value added to German industry, but Telekom argues that realizing this potential will require greater control over data, processes and critical technologies. Historian Yuval Noah Harari warned that AI is evolving into an increasingly autonomous actor, while former Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted opportunities in areas such as medicine and education while calling for international rules. Telekom executive Rodrigo Diehl predicted an “iPhone moment” for AI agents within three years, while the company also highlighted growing cybersecurity risks and the importance of secure, sovereign cloud infrastructure. Five Digital X thematic dossiers provide additional perspectives on these issues and their implications for business and society.

(PRESS RELEASE) BONN, 10-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Deutsche Telekom has identified five areas it sees as critical to Germany’s ability to compete in artificial intelligence following Digital X 2026, where more than 6,000 participants gathered at Cologne’s Rheinauhafen to discuss AI, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, infrastructure and the growing role of autonomous AI agents.

The event brought together representatives from politics, civil society and the technology and digital industries for discussions on how Germany and Europe can translate advances in artificial intelligence into economic value while maintaining control over data, technology and critical digital infrastructure.

Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges used the event to reinforce the company’s commitment to expanding access to AI and announced that Telekom will continue investing in its AI infrastructure, including further development of the Industrial AI Cloud in Munich.

The company has also prepared five thematic dossiers covering AI and ethics, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, AI agents and cloud infrastructure to provide additional data, perspectives, examples and background for further discussion.

Höttges calls for wider AI adoption and stronger digital confidence

At Digital X, Höttges warned against what he described as a growing “skepticism bubble” surrounding artificial intelligence and argued that Germany needs to focus more strongly on the opportunities created by the technology.

He said Deutsche Telekom intends to work toward making AI broadly available, while emphasizing that adoption must be supported by infrastructure, secure technologies and greater control over data and processes.

Hendrik Wüst, Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, similarly called for greater confidence in Germany’s ability to compete technologically, urging businesses and society not to be intimidated by the scale and speed of digital change.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel highlighted potential benefits from artificial intelligence in areas including medicine, education and everyday life, while also emphasizing the importance of international rules governing the technology.

Harari warns that AI is evolving from tool to autonomous actor

One of the central discussions at Digital X concerned the increasing autonomy of artificial intelligence.

Historian and author Yuval Noah Harari warned that AI is moving beyond its traditional role as a tool and is increasingly becoming an independent actor capable of making decisions that affect individuals and institutions.

Harari argued that societies may increasingly find themselves interacting with large numbers of AI systems acting as digital decision-makers and intermediaries.

The broader debate addressed how far autonomous AI agents should be allowed to operate and how governments, companies and individuals can retain meaningful oversight as systems become more capable.

Deutsche Telekom’s AI and ethics briefing brings together perspectives from Harari, Merkel and philosopher Richard David Precht, alongside information on the company’s approach to responsibility, security and human control.

Generative AI could offer Germany €330 billion in additional economic value

Digital sovereignty formed another major theme of the event.

According to figures cited from the German Economic Institute, generative artificial intelligence could generate as much as €330 billion in additional gross value added for German industry.

Deutsche Telekom argues that realizing this opportunity will require Germany and Europe to retain meaningful control over data, technological processes and the infrastructure on which AI applications depend.

Höttges said digital sovereignty should not be interpreted as technological isolation or an exclusively German approach. Instead, he defined it in terms of control over data, processes and technology usage, combined with the ability to make independent choices.

The discussion also included perspectives from Hendrik Wüst and Roland Busch on how Europe can reduce problematic technological dependencies without seeking complete self-sufficiency.

The emphasis is on maintaining freedom of choice, access to secure alternatives and the ability to act independently in strategically important digital areas.

Cybersecurity becomes more urgent as AI lowers barriers to attacks

The growing use of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks was another major area of discussion.

Deutsche Telekom said cyber threats are becoming increasingly automated while geopolitical tensions are also playing out through digital infrastructure and networks.

AI can make sophisticated attacks easier to conduct, increasing pressure on companies to identify incidents and respond more rapidly.

Dr. Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Member of the European Parliament, stressed that enthusiasm for AI should be accompanied by a serious approach to cybersecurity, particularly because digital attacks can also be used to undermine social cohesion.

Deutsche Telekom’s cybersecurity briefing examines the issue through contributions from Thomas Tschersich, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Thomas Köhler and Elke Anderl, with particular attention to the challenges facing small and medium-sized businesses.

The company argues that cyber defence is increasingly becoming an executive-level responsibility rather than solely an operational IT concern.

AI agents could trigger an “iPhone moment” within three years

The emergence of autonomous AI agents was identified as another potentially transformative development for businesses.

Rodrigo Diehl, Member of the Board of Management at Deutsche Telekom, predicted that AI agents could create an “iPhone moment” within the next three years, with consequences that could shape technology and business for the following two decades.

AI agents are expected to move beyond conventional applications confined to screens and become capable of independently carrying out tasks, interacting with systems and operating within digital networks.

Deutsche Telekom believes Germany has potential advantages in this environment because of its industrial data, process knowledge and customer expertise.

The company argues that the greatest economic impact will emerge when businesses move beyond isolated AI tools and begin connecting them into automated workflows capable of supporting new products, processes and business models.

Telekom MMS study examines requirements for productive AI agents

A meta-study by Telekom MMS presented as part of the event examines the conditions required for AI agents to generate measurable economic value.

The findings emphasize three areas: suitable business processes, high-quality data and clear governance structures.

These factors are intended to help organizations move from experimental applications toward productive and controlled agent-based processes.

The related Digital X briefing includes perspectives from Tim Höttges, Rodrigo Diehl and Roman Howe of Anthropic, focusing on how companies can introduce autonomous AI capabilities without losing control over their operations.

Deutsche Telekom expands Industrial AI Cloud in Munich

Cloud and computing infrastructure formed the fifth major area highlighted at Digital X.

Deutsche Telekom confirmed that it is continuing to expand its Industrial AI Cloud in Munich, citing strong demand for AI computing capacity.

Maximilian Ahrens, head of T-Digital, said demand for the infrastructure is already evident and that further expansion is therefore planned.

Telekom also intends to adapt its wider portfolio of cloud services more closely to the requirements of small and medium-sized businesses.

The company expects organizations increasingly to make deliberate decisions about where individual AI and digital workloads should run, based on factors including performance, cost, security and digital sovereignty.

Cloud strategies increasingly shaped by cost, security and sovereignty

Digital X discussions highlighted the growing complexity of enterprise cloud decisions as companies deploy AI across more business processes.

Rather than treating cloud infrastructure as a single standardized environment, organizations may need to determine which workloads are best suited to different platforms according to security requirements, economics and performance.

The cloud-focused material presented by Telekom includes perspectives from Ferri Abolhassan, Verena Pausder and Lars Neumann on balancing these factors.

Deutsche Telekom sees sovereign infrastructure and flexible cloud architectures as increasingly important foundations for industrial AI adoption in Germany and Europe.

Merkel calls for international AI rules while supporting innovation

Angela Merkel used her appearance at Digital X to emphasize both the opportunities and governance challenges associated with artificial intelligence.

She encouraged wider engagement with AI applications that could improve medicine, education and everyday life while supporting international frameworks governing how the technology develops and is used.

The debate reflected one of the recurring themes of Digital X: Germany’s competitiveness will depend not only on accelerating AI adoption but also on creating appropriate safeguards and governance mechanisms.

More than 6,000 participants attend Digital X in Cologne

Digital X 2026 attracted more than 6,000 visitors to Cologne’s Rheinauhafen, with stages and discussion formats covering artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, cybersecurity and broader digital transformation.

Klaus Werner, patron of Digital X and Managing Director of Telekom Deutschland, said participation exceeded expectations and highlighted the level of engagement across the event.

He said an important measure of success is whether attendees leave with concrete ideas that encourage them to begin using artificial intelligence and digital technologies within their own organizations and activities.

Five dossiers frame Germany’s AI competitiveness debate

Following Digital X, Deutsche Telekom has organized its findings and supporting material around five central questions:

How can artificial intelligence generate measurable economic value?
How much autonomy should AI agents have?
What infrastructure does Germany and Europe require?
How should organizations respond to growing cyber risks?
How much control should humans retain over increasingly autonomous technologies?

Together, the five themes frame Deutsche Telekom’s view that AI competitiveness will depend on more than technological capability alone. Infrastructure investment, digital sovereignty, security, governance and the practical integration of AI into business processes will all influence Germany’s ability to capture the economic benefits of the technology.

Media Contact:

Michaela Kühn
Corporate Communications: T Business / Business Customers, Digital X, Public Sector
m.kuehn@telekom.de
tel:+49 171 2074816
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mi-kue/

SOURCE: Deutsche Telekom

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