Over a third of EU firms adopt AI, bringing digital goals in reach

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - More than a third of European businesses adopted artificial intelligence in 2023 as use of generative AI surged, a report commissioned by Amazon Web Services found.

The European Commission, the EU executive, in 2021 presented its 2030 Digital Decade vision to transform the region, with 80% of the population acquiring basic digital skills, 5G connectivity everywhere and 75% of EU companies using cloud services.

In 2022, however, only a quarter of EU businesses had adopted AI and a report last year estimated the European Union was at risk of falling behind its Digital Decade goals by ten years unless the governments focused on bridging the skills gap.

"Last year was pivotal; from Malmo to Milan, the accessibility of generative AI created an appetite for experimentation among consumers and businesses," Tanuja Randery, Managing Director at AWS, told Reuters.

"The accelerated uptake of AI last year has helped put Europe on track to meet its Digital Decade goals," she said.

The survey conducted by Strand Partners of over 16,000 citizens and 14,000 businesses found 38% of companies were experimenting with AI.

The report estimated the positive economic impact of AI at an additional 600 billion euros, on top of an earlier estimate of 2.8 trillion euros.

(Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Stockholm; editing by Barbara Lewis)