More than half of Hungarians believe that artificial intelligence will be the most defining technology of the next decade

Budapest – Hungarians are not as optimistic as Germans, but respondents agree that artificial intelligence (AI) will be the most defining technology of the next decade. 53 percent of those surveyed believe this in Hungary, 72 percent in Germany, and 67 percent worldwide. In the biennial Bosch Tech Compass survey, Hungarians were asked for the first time in the fall of 2024 about their attitude towards technology. The representative survey of more than one thousand people revealed that Hungarians are more skeptical about technology.

Only 56 percent of Hungarians reported that they are interested in technology and would like to understand how it works, compared to 65 percent in the rest of the world. At the same time, 26 percent of domestic respondents feel that the pace of technological change is too fast, they find it difficult to adapt to change, and it is also a challenge for them to keep up with it.

“Technological developments, especially the rise of AI, have taken an incredibly rapid and steep upward trajectory in the past few years. As a responsible innovation company and one of the largest domestic employers, we considered it important to bring this survey to Hungary, as we also play a large role in technological development. Therefore, our fundamental goal is to help people understand technologies, including artificial intelligence, and prepare them to thrive in a rapidly changing world," said Teodóra Bodó, director of communication and governmental affairs of the Bosch Group in Hungary and the Adriatic region.

In terms of individual technologies, artificial intelligence, 3D printing and 5G are the most well-known among Hungarians. These same respondents, like other countries around the world, consider artificial intelligence more important than any other technology. Industrial robots are in second place in Hungary, same as in Germany, with 35 percent mentioning this category, although this rate is only 17 percent globally. Worldwide and in Hungary, 32 percent of respondents highlighted 5G technology, making it the third most popular technology. According to Hungarians, artificial intelligence, industrial robots and biotechnology are expected to have the greatest positive impact on society. At the same time, AI, humanoid robots and virtual/augmented reality are also expected to have a negative impact.

60 percent of Hungarians believe that technological change brings opportunities, but only 16 percent feel that it also poses a risk for concern. This result is consistent with global indicators. In addition, people around the world and in Hungary think similarly and trust that technology simplifies work, makes people's lives easier, and helps them achieve better performance at work. On the other hand, they are primarily afraid of monopolies (52 percent), cyberattacks (50 percent) and unemployment resulting from technological development (48 percent). In contrast, 59 percent of respondents worldwide believe that lack of data security could pose a challenge in the future.

“The survey explores the general socio-economic contexts of the relationship of Hungarians to technology and artificial intelligence. The results also point to exciting correlations, for example, there is a strong ambivalence about artificial intelligence, as this is what Hungarians expect the most positive effect from, but they are also afraid of it. At the same time, since a quarter of Hungarians said they have difficulty keeping up with technological developments, this has further strengthened our belief that we are on the right track and that people need support so that they can use the latest technological developments safely. For example, since 2017 we have been sharing brand-independent professional content on our IoT blog, and since 2021 we have been running our podcast channel, where we address how technology and digitalization shape our lives,” emphasized Teodóra Bodó.

About the study
For the Bosch Tech Compass, the Gesellschaft für Innovative Marktforschung mbH (GIM) surveyed more than 11,000 people over the age of 18 in seven countries in fall 2024. In Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, 1,000 people per country took part; in Brazil, China, India, and the United States, it was 2,000 people each. The representative survey was also conducted in Hungary on behalf of the Bosch Group in Hungary, with the participation of more than one thousand people aged 18–69. Bosch was not named as a client at any point during the survey.