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Artificial Intelligence in Italian industry: the state of AI adoption among Italian companies

For several years, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence by Italian companies has been a central topic in the debate on the digital transformation of the country’s industrial system. But what is the current level of AI adoption in Italy, and how deeply is AI actually integrated into business processes?

Data shows that AI adoption among Italian enterprises has followed a non-linear trend in recent years. According to ISTAT, after a slight slowdown in 2023, 2024 marks a clear and encouraging recovery. However, AI adoption is still far from being widespread across the Italian industrial landscape.

Artificial Intelligence adoption among Italian companies

Looking back to 2021, according to the ISTAT report “Enterprises and ICT”, only 6.2% of Italian companies with at least 10 employees reported using Artificial Intelligence–based software or systems in at least one business function. In the 2003 edition of the same report, this share declined to 5%, highlighting a slowdown mainly driven by high implementation costs, a shortage of specialized skills, and regulatory uncertainty.

However, 2024 marks a turning point: 8.2% of companies reported using at least one Artificial Intelligence technology, with stronger results in the manufacturing sector (8%) and in non-financial services (9%), particularly in areas related to digital transformation and process automation.

According to the 2025 estimates, the number of companies reporting the use of Artificial Intelligence has doubled, reaching 16.4%. While this represents a strong signal of renewed momentum, it is still not sufficient to indicate a fully mature level of AI adoption across the Italian productive system.

Artificial Intelligence in Europe: where does Italy stands

Looking at the European landscape, Italy is showing signs of progress but still lags behind the EU average in terms of Artificial Intelligence adoption. According to Eurostat, AI adoption among European enterprises increased from 13.5% in 2024 to around 20% in 2025. Over the same period, ISTAT data shows that AI adoption in Italy rose from 8.2% to 16.4%. This represents a positive trend and confirms the growing interest in Artificial Intelligence among Italian companies. However, it also highlights the need for Italian enterprises to accelerate their adoption efforts in order to close the gap with the broader European market.

In summary, the gap with Europe remains significant: while it is narrowing, it is not yet sufficient to indicate a structural catch-up with EU-level AI adoption.

In which business areas is Artificial Intelligence making a difference?

At the national level, the impact of Artificial Intelligence varies significantly depending on the sector in which it is applied. In the manufacturing industry, AI adoption in the textile and fashion sector has increased to 4.6%, while electronics and device manufacturing has reached 15.7%.

The telecommunications sector remains the leading adopter, with 27.6% of companies using at least one Artificial Intelligence technology.

Looking at business functions, between 2021 and 2024 Artificial Intelligence has increasingly become a key enabler for:

  • Research and development
  • Innovation
  • Administration
  • Marketing and sales

Data for 2025 confirms that information and communication services (51.3%), professional, scientific and technical activities (35.7%), and energy providers are the industrial sectors where AI adoption is most widespread.

Marketing and sales (33.1%), administrative process organization (25.7%), and research and development or innovation (20.0%) emerge as the business functions with the highest levels of Artificial Intelligence adoption.

However, AI remains less prevalent in areas such as production, logistics, cybersecurity, and management control.

What is holding back Artificial Intelligence adoption in the Italian productive system?

According to the ISTAT report “Enterprises and ICT”, the main barriers to the adoption of Artificial Intelligence models among Italian companies are well defined: a shortage of adequate skills, regulatory uncertainty, limited availability or poor quality of data, concerns related to privacy and data protection, and high implementation costs.

In addition, a growing share of companies believes that adopting Artificial Intelligence services does not deliver sufficient value to justify the investment.

These challenges have a particularly strong impact on Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the largest share of the national business landscape but continue to show lower levels of AI adoption compared to more structured and larger organizations.

How to foster broader Artificial Intelligence adoption among Italian companies

A slow but steady adaptation to Artificial Intelligence is emerging, also driven by the introduction of innovative AI tools into the market. However, absolute adoption levels remain low, indicating that significant progress is still needed to achieve widespread AI adoption in Italy.

Discover how Artificial Intelligence can transform your business

Accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence among Italian companies is a strategic lever for maintaining competitiveness in both the national and international industrial landscape.

IT4LIA AI Factory offers a comprehensive portfolio on Artificial Intelligence services designed to support companies at every stage of their digital transformation journey: from data valorisation, process analysis and optimization, and the development of AI models and sector-specific use cases, to the training of the skills needed to effectively manage change.

Book a call with our HPC and Artificial Intelligence experts and let us guide you in selecting the most suitable services to transform your business through innovation.

Giovanni Bognetti, Silvio La Torre (CONFINDUSTRIA)

Resources

Artificial Intelligence in Italian industry: the state of AI adoption among Italian companies

For several years, the adoption of Artificial Intelligence by Italian companies has been a central topic in the debate on the digital transformation of the country’s industrial system. But what is the current level of AI adoption in Italy, and how deeply is AI actually integrated into business processes?

Data shows that AI adoption among Italian enterprises has followed a non-linear trend in recent years. According to ISTAT, after a slight slowdown in 2023, 2024 marks a clear and encouraging recovery. However, AI adoption is still far from being widespread across the Italian industrial landscape.

Artificial Intelligence adoption among Italian companies

Looking back to 2021, according to the ISTAT report “Enterprises and ICT”, only 6.2% of Italian companies with at least 10 employees reported using Artificial Intelligence–based software or systems in at least one business function. In the 2003 edition of the same report, this share declined to 5%, highlighting a slowdown mainly driven by high implementation costs, a shortage of specialized skills, and regulatory uncertainty.

However, 2024 marks a turning point: 8.2% of companies reported using at least one Artificial Intelligence technology, with stronger results in the manufacturing sector (8%) and in non-financial services (9%), particularly in areas related to digital transformation and process automation.

According to the 2025 estimates, the number of companies reporting the use of Artificial Intelligence has doubled, reaching 16.4%. While this represents a strong signal of renewed momentum, it is still not sufficient to indicate a fully mature level of AI adoption across the Italian productive system.

Artificial Intelligence in Europe: where does Italy stands

Looking at the European landscape, Italy is showing signs of progress but still lags behind the EU average in terms of Artificial Intelligence adoption. According to Eurostat, AI adoption among European enterprises increased from 13.5% in 2024 to around 20% in 2025. Over the same period, ISTAT data shows that AI adoption in Italy rose from 8.2% to 16.4%. This represents a positive trend and confirms the growing interest in Artificial Intelligence among Italian companies. However, it also highlights the need for Italian enterprises to accelerate their adoption efforts in order to close the gap with the broader European market.

In summary, the gap with Europe remains significant: while it is narrowing, it is not yet sufficient to indicate a structural catch-up with EU-level AI adoption.

In which business areas is Artificial Intelligence making a difference?

At the national level, the impact of Artificial Intelligence varies significantly depending on the sector in which it is applied. In the manufacturing industry, AI adoption in the textile and fashion sector has increased to 4.6%, while electronics and device manufacturing has reached 15.7%.

The telecommunications sector remains the leading adopter, with 27.6% of companies using at least one Artificial Intelligence technology.

Looking at business functions, between 2021 and 2024 Artificial Intelligence has increasingly become a key enabler for:

  • Research and development
  • Innovation
  • Administration
  • Marketing and sales

Data for 2025 confirms that information and communication services (51.3%), professional, scientific and technical activities (35.7%), and energy providers are the industrial sectors where AI adoption is most widespread.

Marketing and sales (33.1%), administrative process organization (25.7%), and research and development or innovation (20.0%) emerge as the business functions with the highest levels of Artificial Intelligence adoption.

However, AI remains less prevalent in areas such as production, logistics, cybersecurity, and management control.

What is holding back Artificial Intelligence adoption in the Italian productive system?

According to the ISTAT report “Enterprises and ICT”, the main barriers to the adoption of Artificial Intelligence models among Italian companies are well defined: a shortage of adequate skills, regulatory uncertainty, limited availability or poor quality of data, concerns related to privacy and data protection, and high implementation costs.

In addition, a growing share of companies believes that adopting Artificial Intelligence services does not deliver sufficient value to justify the investment.

These challenges have a particularly strong impact on Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the largest share of the national business landscape but continue to show lower levels of AI adoption compared to more structured and larger organizations.

How to foster broader Artificial Intelligence adoption among Italian companies

A slow but steady adaptation to Artificial Intelligence is emerging, also driven by the introduction of innovative AI tools into the market. However, absolute adoption levels remain low, indicating that significant progress is still needed to achieve widespread AI adoption in Italy.

Discover how Artificial Intelligence can transform your business

Accelerating the adoption of Artificial Intelligence among Italian companies is a strategic lever for maintaining competitiveness in both the national and international industrial landscape.

IT4LIA AI Factory offers a comprehensive portfolio on Artificial Intelligence services designed to support companies at every stage of their digital transformation journey: from data valorisation, process analysis and optimization, and the development of AI models and sector-specific use cases, to the training of the skills needed to effectively manage change.

Book a call with our HPC and Artificial Intelligence experts and let us guide you in selecting the most suitable services to transform your business through innovation.

Giovanni Bognetti, Silvio La Torre (CONFINDUSTRIA)