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Global Index Score

68.98

Global: 6thRegional: 6thIncome Group: 6th

Germany's index score lands +14.7 against the Europe average (54.2) and +16.9 against High income peers (52.1). It scores ahead of 96% of the 135 countries and jurisdictions assessed this edition. Published score 69.0 reflects a URAI adjustment from 74.2 (2 government-misuse evidence items on file). The profile rests on 58 documented evidence items spanning policy frameworks, government initiatives and civil society activity.

How Germany Performs Across the Five Dimensions

GIRAI evaluates countries across five core dimensions that capture the social, ethical, and institutional impacts of artificial intelligence.

AI Policy

72.65

Avrg. Score

49.13

Global: 4thRegional: 4th

Enabling Conditions

86.58

Avrg. Score

76.57

Global: 9thRegional: 8th

Civil Society Engagement

46.09

Avrg. Score

30.01

Global: 13thRegional: 8th
1

Inclusion and Diversity

82.98

Index Score

56.44

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 1stRegional: 1st

Germany runs +26.5 against the regional average (56.4) on Inclusion and Diversity. Strongest indicators: Gender Equality (90.7), Children's Rights (80.3). Weakest: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (73.5). This dimension ranks 1st globally — ahead of the country's overall position (6th). 12 evidence items on file, including "EU Digital Services Act" and 3 other documented items.

2

Ethics and Sustainability

72.03

Index Score

54.81

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 7thRegional: 7th

Germany runs +17.2 against the regional average (54.8) on Ethics and Sustainability. Strongest indicators: Transparency and Explainability (83.0), Environmental Impact (78.2). Weakest: Human Oversight and Determination (73.9), Fairness and Non-discrimination (73.9). This dimension ranks 7th globally — behind the country's overall position (6th). 15 evidence items on file, including "EU AI Act" and 3 other documented items.

3

Labour and Skills

77.56

Index Score

57.98

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 2ndRegional: 2nd

Germany runs +19.6 against the regional average (58.0) on Labour and Skills. Strongest indicators: Labour Protections (82.3), AI Literacy (77.3). Weakest: Reskilling/Upskilling Initiatives (74.2). This dimension ranks 2nd globally — ahead of the country's overall position (6th). 10 evidence items on file, including "EU AI Act" and 2 other documented items.

4

Trust and Safety

76.86

Index Score

63.43

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 4thRegional: 4th

Germany runs +13.4 against the regional average (63.4) on Trust and Safety. Strongest indicators: Access to Redress and Remedy (83.0), AI-facilitated Misinformation and Violence (79.5). Weakest: Impact Assessments (73.2), Safety and Security (74.5). This dimension ranks 4th globally — ahead of the country's overall position (6th). 12 evidence items on file, including "EU Digital Services Act" and 3 other documented items.

5

AI Use in Public Service

61.43

Index Score

44.61

Avrg. Dimension score

Global: 13thRegional: 9th

Germany runs +16.8 against the regional average (44.6) on AI Use in Public Service. Strongest indicators: Public Procurement (75.0), Public Disclosure of Government Algorithmic Systems (44.4). Weakest: Public Sector Skills Development (27.8). This dimension ranks 13th globally — behind the country's overall position (6th). 9 evidence items on file, including "AI Strategy for the Justice System (KI Strategie in der Justiz)" and 1 other documented items.

Comparing Results Across Editions

Explore how country performance, scores, and governance indicators have changed between GIRAI editions.

14 indicators

Indicator2024 Edition2026 Edition
Gender EqualityNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Children's RightsBinding FrameworkBinding Framework
Cultural and Linguistic DiversityNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Fairness and Non-discriminationNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Transparency and ExplainabilityNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Human Oversight and DeterminationBinding FrameworkBinding Framework
Labour ProtectionsNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Reskilling/Upskilling InitiativesNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Safety and SecurityNon-Binding FrameworkBinding Framework
Access to Redress and RemedyBinding FrameworkBinding Framework
Impact AssessmentsBinding FrameworkBinding Framework
Public Sector Skills DevelopmentNo FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Public ProcurementNon-Binding FrameworkNon-Binding Framework
Government Mechanisms for CSO Inclusion in AI Policy and GovernanceNon-Binding FrameworkDraft

Indicator definitions changed between editions; this table compares evidence presence and status, not directly comparable scores. A — indicates the item is not applicable or was not assessed for that edition.

Compare responsible AI performance

Explore how countries and regions perform across GIRAI's governance dimensions, scores, and structural indicators.

Compare
🇩🇪Germany

68.98

Global 6thRegional 6th
Europe

54.23

Regional average

Dimension scores

Inclusion and Diversity
Germany
83.0
Europe
56.4
Ethics and Sustainability
Germany
72.0
Europe
54.8
Labour and Skills
Germany
77.6
Europe
58.0
Trust and Safety
Germany
76.9
Europe
63.4
AI Use in Public Service
Germany
61.4
Europe
44.6

Indicators

37 of 37
IndicatorGermanyEurope
Inclusion and Diversity7
APGender Equality
90.751.1
APChildren's Rights
80.359.0
APCultural and Linguistic Diversity
73.541.8
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Inclusion and Diversity
76.921.4
ECEgalitarian Democracy
90.667.6
ECDevice Affordability
80.176.1
ECGender Gap in Mobile Internet
93.395.3
Ethics and Sustainability7
APFairness and Non-discrimination
73.960.1
APTransparency and Explainability
83.064.5
APHuman Oversight and Determination
73.957.8
APEnvironmental Impact
78.228.5
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Ethics and Sustainability
30.830.8
ECLow-Carbon Energy Share
58.664.7
ECRule of Law
92.269.2
Labour and Skills6
APLabour Protections
82.353.9
APReskilling/Upskilling Initiatives
74.256.0
APAI Literacy
77.352.3
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Labour and Skills
30.830.1
ECLabour Rights & Compliance
87.362.9
ECSkills & Literacy
97.687.4
Trust and Safety10
APSafety and Security
74.560.7
APAccess to Redress and Remedy
83.055.0
APImpact Assessments
73.260.4
APAI-facilitated Misinformation and Violence
79.558.4
CSOCivil Society Engagement in Trust and Safety
22.024.0
ECData Protection and Privacy
100.084.2
ECData Sharing and Access
87.587.1
ECConsumer Protection
96.291.6
ECCybersecurity
97.888.6
ECGlobal Peace
87.479.4
AI Use in Public Service7
APPublic Sector Skills Development
27.842.0
APPublic Disclosure of Government Algorithmic Systems
44.421.5
APPublic Procurement
75.025.3
CSOGovernment Mechanisms for CSO Inclusion in AI Policy and Governance
70.043.8
ECCivil Society Accountability
85.575.5
ECPublic Service Delivery
85.886.3
ECAccess to Public Information
78.662.9
Score adjustment
URAIUnacceptable Risk AI Systems
×0.932 government-misuse items×0.98Regional average
APAI Policy
CSOCSO Engagement
ECEnabling Conditions
Misuse Of AI

Unacceptable Risk AI Systems

Evidence related to government use of AI systems associated with unacceptable-risk categories.

Contact GIRAI
  • Mass Biometric Surveillance

    Biometric Internet Matching (The 'Security Package' / Sicherheitspaket)

    Following a series of security incidents the German government passed legislation authorizing federal police and migration authorities to use AI for matching biometric data (facial images/voice) against images scraped from the open internet including social media platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn. Civil rights organisations (e.g. AlgorithmWatch Chaos Computer Club) labeled this as biometric mass surveillance. While the government argues it avoids a central database technical experts state that such large-scale matching effectively treats the entire internet as a biometric database a practice specifically prohibited as an 'unacceptable risk' under Article 5 of the EU AI Act which Germany bypassed via national security exemptions.

    View Trusted Source
  • Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement

    Palantir/VeRA (Automated Data Analysis Platform)

    After a 2023 Federal Constitutional Court ruling set strict limits on 'data mining' the Bavarian government pushed through state-level legislation to make the VeRA platform (powered by Palantir Gotham) fully operational by December 25 2024. The system aggregates vast previously separate police datasets to identify 'behavioral patterns' and 'at-risk' individuals for preventive policing. The Society for Civil Rights (GFF) has challenged this as a violation of the right to informational self-determination. The system allows for automated profiling of individuals not suspected of any crime creating a high risk of 'black box' discrimination and lack of accountability in law enforcement.

    View Trusted Source

What Drives This Performance?

A breakdown of the structural factors shaping this country's score.

AI Policy

National AI strategies, laws, and oversight mechanisms that establish formal governance structures.

Contribution to overall score

59%

Civil society engagement

Participation of academia, advocacy groups, and non-state actors in shaping governance and ensuring accountability.

Contribution to overall score

6%

Enabling conditions

Institutional capacity, rule of law, digital readiness, and labour protections that enable effective governance.

Contribution to overall score

35%

  • Strongest context signal: Data Protection and Privacy (100.0)
  • Cybersecurity (97.8)
  • Skills & Literacy (97.6)

Evidence for Germany

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