EU Accelerates AI Adoption in Key Economic Sectors

Brussels: The EU Commission is accelerating the pace of building a sovereign AI ecosystem and presenting a plan to promote the adoption of the new technology in sectors with a high impact on the European economy, thus strengthening its competitiveness.

According to Ansa News Agency, the Apply AI strategy covers the public sector and ten key sectors, with plans that include the creation of advanced AI-based screening centers and the implementation of a secure infrastructure for the development of AI models for defense. With the strategy, the EU is mobilizing pound 1 billion from existing funding programs, with leverage effects varying by sector.

Eurostat data for 2024 indicates that only 13.5% of EU companies use AI, compared to a much higher adoption rate in the US and China. Italy stands at 8.2%, albeit up from 5.05% in 2023.

Central to the strategy, which complements the Action Plan for an AI Continent launched in April 2025, is the AI-first approach, a policy that prioritizes AI so that more companies consider the new technology as part of the solution to complex challenges, taking into account both benefits and risks.

The strategy defines sectoral actions to promote the use of AI in the public sector and in ten sectors identified based on the Draghi Report on EU Competitiveness, public consultations, and an analysis of industrial priorities.