Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone of the EU’s digital and industrial agenda. Recognised as a potential key driver of productivity, innovation and societal transformation, AI is now central to the EU’s ambition to boost the competitiveness of its strategic industries, as demonstrated by the adoption, by the EU Commission, of the Apply AI Strategy.
In this context, the report assesses the use and characteristics of different AI technologies across strategic sectors, examining the extent and growth of AI adoption and the relationship between the integration of AI solutions into core business processes and the use of off-the-shelf AI systems.
Overall, AI adoption has increased across all strategic sectors, with the share of enterprises using at least one AI technology rising from 8% in 2021 to 20% in 2025. However, progress has been uneven. Media, energy and electronic communications are leading the way, with at least 30% of enterprises using AI, while mobility, transport, automotive and agrifood lag behind, with adoption rates of around 13%.
The growing availability of accessible, general-purpose AI systems has been the main driver of adoption, particularly in business support activities such as marketing and sales. By contrast, AI integration remains more limited in production processes, research and development, ICT security and logistics.
AI adoption is influenced by the combination of sector-specific needs and technological characteristics, as certain AI technologies are more easily integrated into the core business processes of particular industries. Consequently, the availability of solutions tailored to sector-specific processes plays an important role in enabling deeper AI integration. Adoption is also closely linked to enterprises’ broader digitalisation and organisational maturity: higher levels of digitalisation are associated with greater AI uptake and faster growth, while enterprises making more extensive use of AI in production tend to have organisational structures better suited to its implementation. These findings highlight the importance of complementary investments, effective management practices and organisational changes.
Nevertheless, the lack of relevant expertise remains the main barrier to AI adoption. Concerns about costs, data availability and quality, and system compatibility are becoming less prominent, while regulatory concerns are growing.
To fully harness AI’s potential, enterprises need to move beyond generic, ready-to-use solutions for business support towards tailored AI applications integrated into their core business processes. This requires leveraging sector-specific knowledge, regulatory expertise and company-specific data. Bridging the gap between the adoption of general-purpose tools and deeper, productivity-enhancing AI integration will require targeted sectoral interventions, alongside broader digitalisation efforts, skills development, organisational change and improved access to data.
Europe is well-positioned to advance this transition, drawing on its competitive industrial landscape to accelerate the integration of AI into core business processes.
Against this backdrop, the report presents a methodology based on data from Eurostat’s annual survey on ICT usage in enterprises to measure and monitor AI adoption across the strategic sectors identified in the Apply AI Strategy. The study aims to help policymakers and sectoral stakeholders better understand the challenges and opportunities associated with AI, track progress over time, and identify the key factors driving its integration into sector-specific processes. Ultimately, the report seeks to enhance transparency regarding AI’s potential to create value across industries and foster discussions among stakeholders on how best to harness this potential.
Read here the full report.
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