AI adoption in European companies has more than doubled. Industry is still lagging behind

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre published an analysis on 14 October of artificial intelligence use in ten strategic sectors of the European economy. The research draws on Eurostat data for 2021 to 2025 and examines not only how many companies use AI, but also how the technology is integrated into operations. The share of companies using AI in the sectors studied rose from seven to 18 percent. Across the entire European Union economy, it increased from eight to 20 percent over the same period. The difference shows that strategically important sectors are not automatically the most technologically advanced. The highest share of AI use is found in cultural and creative industries, including media, where it reaches 38 percent. Energy follows at 34 percent and electronic communications at 30 percent. At the other end are transport, tourism and the agri-food sector. In energy, AI use rose from 18 to 34 percent between 2021 and 2025, while in electronic communications it increased from 12 to 30 percent. These sectors have extensive operational data and can use the technology not only in customer communication but also in capacity planning, infrastructure security and research. A key distinction is between using general-purpose tools and integrating AI into core business processes. The researchers note that growth in user numbers is driven to a large extent by the availability of cheaper general-purpose language models. These are easy to apply to text creation, marketing and sales. The situation is more complex in manufacturing processes. Introducing AI may require connections to machinery, production systems, technical documentation and historical data. A company must also verify the reliability of decisions and their effects on quality or safety. The analysis found a positive relationship between organizational changes and the use of AI directly in production. Companies that modify workflows and responsibilities are more likely to use the technology in core operating activities as well. Buying an off-the-shelf tool alone is therefore not a sufficient indicator of technological maturity. The most common barriers are a shortage of specialized experts and legal uncertainty, particularly around data protection and privacy. The findings are also intended to inform adjustments to Europe’s Apply AI strategy, which supports adoption in economically important sectors. For business leaders, the practical conclusion is that the number of employees using AI should be measured separately from the technology’s actual role in value creation. A manufacturing company may have hundreds of language-model users without the technology affecting production productivity, quality or energy consumption. Investment decisions should therefore start with a specific operational problem, establish baseline costs and compare results before and after deployment. The European data suggest that organizational readiness is at least as important as the availability of the technology. KEY TERMS Strategic sectors: Economic sectors important to the European Union’s competitiveness, security and long-term resilience. Integration of AI into core processes: Use of the technology directly in production, service delivery or decision-making rather than only in supporting activities. Eurostat: The statistical office of the European Union, which collects and publishes comparable data on member states.

AI adoption in European companies has more than doubled. Industry is still lagging behind

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