Artificial Intelligence (IA) is already used by more than half of the employees of eurozone companies, but the impact on productivity remains uneven and adoption remains conditional, today revealed the European Central Bank (ECB).
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26/08/2026
by
Lusa
Dand according to a report published today by the ECB, the percentage of workers using the AI rose from 26% in 2024 to 52% in 2026.
Based on a monthly survey of some 20,000 people in eleven countries, the report showed that users of AI save on average three hours of work per week, corresponding to about 8% of working time.
These gains may be “at least partly visible in the aggregate productivity figures”, which have been recovering for several quarters in the euro area, the economists responsible for the report say.
Still, these gains are distributed unevenly, since they are more significant in computer programming, data analysis and automation of repetitive tasks.
They are more modest in more common uses, such as information research or text writing.
Moreover, even with a rapid breakthrough, the AI is not unanimously accepted.
About one third of non-users consider that this technology is not interested in their tasks and more than 40% claim not to want to use it.
Concerns about the reliability of the tools and the lack of support by employers are also among the main obstacles.
“Problems remain on both workers and companies,” economists stress.
ECB officials consider that employers and public authorities should strengthen training and facilitate access to AI tools to “explore fully their productivity potential”.