Ipsos has published a new report commissioned by Google that examines the barriers European companies face in adopting AI and how they can overcome them, in light of the EU’s policy objective to leverage AI for economic growth and competitiveness.
Main findings
The implementation situation is not uniform.
- According to Eurostat data, around 20% of EU companies were using AI technologies in 2025, but this masks large variations by sector, size and region.
- The use of AI is concentrated in digitally mature areas. 62% of telecommunications companies use AI tools, compared to just 17% of manufacturing companies and about 11% of construction companies.
- Large companies are significantly more likely to adopt AI than small and medium-sized businesses, with this difference growing from 30 percentage points in 2024 to 38 percentage points in 2025.
Human-centered barriers are just as important, if not more so, than technical barriers.
While AI has created a degree of fear and uncertainty for many companies and workers, our analysis suggests that many of the issues individuals are grappling with when thinking about AI are similar to those in previous waves of technology. In that context, we identify six key questions that individuals must answer before deciding to adopt AI.
- Is AI relevant to me?
- What is the value of AI?
- What are the risks?
- What are the rules?
- Can AI be trusted?
- Do you have the ability to use AI?
Closing the adoption gap requires a human-centered approach.
Our report outlines three guiding principles for policymakers, business leaders and technology providers.
- Through sector-specific conversations, visible case studies, and regulatory clarity, we guide sectors to identify task-specific relevance to build the case for the utility and value of AI.
- We support the capacity and readiness of organizations to enable experimentation and move beyond pilots to full-scale implementation, especially among small and medium-sized businesses.
- Build AI literacy at all levels and ensure your organization has the skill mix to safely and effectively exploit AI opportunities.
Technical note:
The report is based on a rapid evidence assessment of approximately 70 studies on AI adoption across Europe and 15 semi-structured interviews with senior stakeholders working on AI adoption issues across EU member states, including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden. Interviews were conducted between January and March 2026. All reviewed studies were published after 2024 to ensure relevance to recent trends in generative AI.
