The Use of Artificial Intelligence in EU Companies Grows in 2024

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies among businesses in the European Union has seen notable growth in 2024. According to the latest data from Eurostat, 13.5% of companies with 10 or more employees have integrated some form of AI into their operations, representing an increase of 5.5 percentage points compared to the 8.0% recorded in 2023.

Denmark and Sweden Lead AI Adoption

The countries with the highest proportion of businesses using AI in 2024 are Denmark (27.6%), Sweden (25.1%), and Belgium (24.7%). On the other end of the spectrum, Romania (3.1%), Poland (5.9%), and Bulgaria (6.5%) show the lowest levels of adoption.

use ai enterprises 2023 2024

In terms of year-on-year increases, Sweden has seen a rise of 14.7 percentage points compared to 2023, followed by Denmark (+12.4 pp) and Belgium (+10.9 pp). On the other hand, the most modest gains were recorded in Portugal (+0.8 pp), Romania (+1.6 pp), and Spain (+2.1 pp).

The Most Used AI Technologies by European Businesses

Businesses have adopted various AI technologies to enhance their operations. The most utilized technology in 2024 was text mining, with an adoption rate of 6.9% after an annual increase of 4.0 percentage points.

Other notable technologies include:

  • Natural Language Generation (5.4% adoption, +3.3 pp)
  • Voice Recognition (4.8%, +2.2 pp)
  • Machine Learning for Data Analysis (4.5%, +2.1 pp)
  • AI-Based Process Automation (4.3%, +2.0 pp)
  • Image Recognition and Processing (3.9%, +1.8 pp)
  • Autonomous Mobility with AI (1.1%, +0.5 pp)

Trends and Challenges for AI Adoption in the EU

The use of AI is particularly widespread in the information and communication sectors, with 48.7% of companies adopting this technology. Other industries with high adoption include scientific and technical services (30.5%). In contrast, sectors like retail and construction have adoption rates below 10%.

type ai usage enterprises 2023 2024

Despite the growth in AI adoption, challenges remain such as implementation costs, the lack of technical knowledge, and the need for regulations that ensure the responsible use of these technologies. The EU continues to promote policies to encourage digitization and the integration of AI in businesses, aiming to maintain global competitiveness and ensure sustainable technological development.

Future Perspectives

The data reveals that large enterprises lead in AI usage, with a 41.17% adoption rate in 2024, compared to 11.21% in small businesses and 20.97% in medium-sized enterprises. This phenomenon can be attributed to the financial and structural capacity of large companies to implement large-scale AI solutions.

As technology continues to evolve, digitalization and artificial intelligence will play a key role in the business transformation of the EU, with policies and strategies that facilitate equitable adoption across all sectors.

via: AI News

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