In an European Central Bank blog, staff analysis of the ECB Survey on the access to finance of enterprises found that AI adoption is spreading quickly across the euro area, but intensive use remains limited. More than 70% of firms reported using AI in the last quarter of 2025, yet only 7% said they used it intensively, with the blog arguing that productivity and macroeconomic gains are more likely when firms embed AI in core processes rather than using it only for routine or peripheral tasks. The analysis found that intensive use is more common in services, especially information and communication technology and other knowledge-intensive activities, and is relatively more frequent among smaller firms and younger businesses, although firm size appears more closely linked to intensive use than age overall. Firms using AI intensively are more often motivated by growth, research and development, and expanding products and services, while moderate users more often focus on cost reduction and operational efficiency. Peer effects were identified as an important driver, particularly in ICT and professional services, with a 10 percentage point increase in the perceived current AI investment rate among peers associated with about a 1.9 percentage point rise in the probability of intensive use. Intensive users also showed heavier financing needs: more than 84% had already invested in AI, compared with 33% of moderate users, and 99% planned AI investment in 2026, allocating about 20% of total investment to AI-related activity. The blog said firms using AI intensively are more likely to combine several financing sources and, in the euro area, depend more on bank loans. Reported barriers were shortages of AI-related skills at 40%, limited usefulness of current AI technologies at 28%, and incompatibility with existing systems at 26%, with the authors pointing to training, advisory support and sharing of successful use cases as possible ways to help firms deepen adoption.
European Central Bank2026-06-24
European Central Bank blog says intensive AI use remains rare among euro area firms despite adoption exceeding 70%
An European Central Bank blog, based on SAFE survey data, said AI adoption among euro area firms exceeded 70% in late 2025 but only 7% used it intensively. The analysis linked intensive use to innovation-focused firms, peer pressure and broader financing needs, especially bank lending. It identified skill shortages, limited business usefulness and system incompatibility as the main barriers to deeper adoption.