IT budgets remain stable despite economic slowdown

Whitepaper on the New CIO Agenda 2026 Study by CIO, CSO and COMPUTERWOCHE

Many IT managers and business decision-makers in Germany believe that current economic conditions present the greatest challenge their companies will face in 2026. That’s according to the recent CIO Agenda 2026 study conducted by COMPUTERWOCHE Research Services in conjunction with Lufthansa Industry Solutions (LHIND). Yet, despite this, IT budgets have escaped cost-cutting measures – with funds earmarked for AI investments in particular left untouched.

The Challenges Decision-Makers Expect to Face in 2026

German business leaders’ concerns regarding the current economic downturn are more pronounced today than any time in recent memory. Selected by almost 40% of respondents, prevailing economic conditions ranked number one in the list of the biggest challenges this year. This was followed by the shortage of skilled workers caused by demographic change (34.5%), changes to the world of work due to digitalization (33.9%) and the automation of business processes (33.6%).

 

AI as an Unstoppable Technology of the Future

It’s hardly surprising that artificial intelligence is now a firm fixture in almost all companies and continues to grow in significance. Over 67% of those surveyed indicated that the use of generative AI in their company is already high to very high. Roughly 58% of companies rely on generative AI for data analysis, while other high-use areas include process optimization (49%), marketing and advertising (47%) and product development (46%). In the coming years, 51% of IT managers and business decision-makers expect to see increasing automation of tasks through the use of AI agents.

Brief insight into our whitepaper on the CIO Agenda 2026 study
Free Download: Whitepaper on the CIO Agenda 2026 Study (in German only)

Check out the new CIO Agenda 2026 study to discover how prepared companies are to tackle current challenges, how the use of AI will evolve – and how human employees fit into this.

A Selection of the Insights in our Whitepaper on the CIO Agenda 2026 Study
  • The IT topics and technologies companies have targeted for investment in the years ahead
  • The tasks companies plan to handle with AI in the future
  • How well protected companies feel against the risks of cybercrime
  • The areas of IT for which companies already have comprehensive strategies and concepts
Pie chart for the question "Is generative AI part of your day-to-day workflows – whether because you access generative AI tools, use chatbots or because AI is an integral part of IT systems you regularly work with?“ 81.5 percent of respondents answered "yes," 15.2 percent answered "no," and 3.4 percent answered "don't know."
Roughly 82% of those surveyed stated that generative AI is now part of their day-to-day workflows.
  • AI is becoming fundamental to all IT and business processes
    Generative AI is already part of day-to-day workflows for around 82% of respondents. Decision-makers plan to deploy AI in numerous areas in the years ahead, including automating tasks with AI agents, introducing chatbots and enhancing cybersecurity.
  • IT employees remain relevant 
    Similar to IT budgets, staffing levels in IT departments remain relatively unchanged. In fact, 27% of IT managers and business decision-makers plan to grow their workforce significantly in the next two to three years.
  • Cybersecurity: Concerns persist despite effective protection
    Cybersecurity remains a leading source of concern for businesses. Although almost one-third feel their cybersecurity measures provide excellent protection, nearly 40% of respondents are worried about falling victim to industrial espionage, attacks from partners’ supply chains or the theft of digital identities and access details.