AI Technologies Increasing in EU Enterprises

In 2024, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies within enterprises in the European Union (EU) saw significant progress, reaching 13.5% of companies with 10 or more employees. This marks a notable 5.5 percentage point increase from the 8.0% reported in 2023, showcasing a growing trend in the integration of AI into business operations across Europe.

The highest levels of AI adoption were observed in Denmark (27.6%), Sweden (25.1%), and Belgium (24.7%), indicating regional disparities in technology uptake. Conversely, countries such as Romania (3.1%), Poland (5.9%), and Bulgaria (6.5%) reported much lower figures. Indeed, all EU nations recorded increases in the proportion of enterprises utilizing AI technologies compared to the previous year, with Sweden leading the growth with an impressive increase of 14.7 percentage points, followed by Denmark (12.4 pp) and Belgium (10.9 pp). In contrast, the smallest increments were noted in Portugal (+0.8 pp), Romania (+1.6 pp), and Spain (+2.1 pp).

Enterprises across the EU have continued to innovate and integrate various AI technologies to enhance operational efficiency. Among the AI technologies adopted, text mining, which involves analyzing written language, emerged as the most prevalent at 6.9% adoption, reflecting a 4.0 pp increase over the past year. The second most utilized AI technology, natural language generation (NLG), was employed by 5.4% of enterprises, marking a 3.3 pp rise from 2023. Additionally, speech recognition technology, which converts spoken language into a machine-readable format, was used by 4.8% of companies, up by 2.2 pp from last year.

The data illustrates the robust trend of AI technology adoption in the EU, highlighting the need for continued support and investment in digital innovation to ensure that businesses can compete effectively in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.