The use of artificial intelligence in Italian companies is growing sharply, even though the picture remains uneven. According to the Istat “Enterprises and ICT” survey updated to 2025, adoption among companies with at least ten employees has practically doubled in a single year.

The share rose from 8.2% in 2024 to 16.4% in 2025. Just two years earlier, in 2023, it stood at 5%.

Large companies lead, but SMEs are accelerating too

The leap forward is driven above all by larger companies. More than half of businesses with over 250 employees now use artificial intelligence technologies, compared with 32.5% in 2024.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are also moving more decisively. Among companies with fewer than 50 employees, adoption rose from 7.7% to 15.7%, a sign of an acceleration that seemed distant not long ago.

Territorial gaps and sector differences

The territorial divide remains clear. The North-West leads with 19.3% of companies using AI, followed by the North-East at 17.6% and the Centre at 15.2%. In the South the share falls to 12.2%.

Sectors also show very different dynamics. Artificial intelligence is more widespread in information-intensive and creative industries, while it struggles to enter traditional manufacturing sectors.

At least a quarter of companies use it in IT services, in film, video and music activities, in publishing, in telecommunications and in professional, scientific and technical activities. Travel agencies and booking services also show high usage.

Within companies, generative AI and language analysis prevail in marketing and administrative processes. In production and logistics, workflow automation dominates, while cybersecurity relies on predictive machine learning models.

Barriers to adoption and the European comparison

Among companies that have not yet adopted AI, the smallest ones mainly report a lack of internal skills, cited by almost six businesses out of ten. Uncertainty over legal liability and difficulty in accessing adequate data also weigh heavily.

Larger companies appear less concerned about costs, but show greater attention to risks linked to data protection and privacy.

In the European comparison, Italy still lags behind. In 2025 it ranks 18th in the EU-27, improving by four positions but remaining far from Germany (26%), Spain (20.3%) and France (18.2%).

The overall picture of digital technologies shows positive signs beyond AI as well. Management software is used by 56% of companies, intermediate or advanced cloud computing by 68.1%, while data analytics rose from 26.6% to 42.7% in two years.

Original article: tlfassociati.it