Finnish firms embrace AI rapidly, but regulatory knowledge lags far behind, survey finds
Four in five active users adopted artificial intelligence within the past three years, yet fewer than one in four can identify the EU’s main AI law — a gap that researchers warn could expose businesses to unforeseen legal risk.
Text by Martti Asikainen, 30.4.2026 | Photo by Adobe Stock Photos
The vast majority of Finnish companies using artificial intelligence have adopted it only recently, with 85% of active users having begun within the last three years, according to a new survey that also reveals a sharp disconnect between the pace of adoption and companies’ understanding of the rules governing the technology.
The study, published on 30 April by FAIR European Digital Innovation Hub — a research and advisory network affiliated with Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki — surveyed 200 business leaders and AI specialists at organisations where AI is already in established use or systematic piloting. Data was collected between December 2025 and February 2026 by market research firm Taloustutkimus Oy.
Efficiency first, new revenue follows
The most commonly reported benefit of AI is faster, smoother work. Nearly three quarters of respondents identified process efficiency and time savings as a concrete outcome of AI adoption. A further 28% said the technology had simplified documentation, reporting, and meeting notes.
More striking is the proportion reporting commercial impact: 25% said AI had generated new business or been integrated directly into a product or service they sell. That figure suggests AI has moved beyond internal tooling for a meaningful share of adopting companies.
Looking ahead, half of respondents said they believed automation would free employees to focus on higher-value work. Process automation was the most commonly anticipated future opportunity, cited by 51%, followed by new products or business models (20%) and improved data analytics (18%).
Three bottlenecks
Despite rapid uptake, the survey identifies three obstacles slowing broader deployment. A skills and knowledge gap was cited by 33% of respondents, with organisations reporting insufficient awareness of AI capabilities and suitable use cases.
Data security and privacy concerns, particularly around handling customer data, emerged as a second significant barrier. Regulatory compliance was named by 28%, with companies describing external obligations and uncertainty about what is permitted as sources of additional administrative burden.
Time and resource constraints were cited by 26% of respondents, whilst uncertainty about costs and return on investment troubled 24%. The findings suggest the barriers are as much organisational and cultural as they are technical.
Regulation largely unknown
The survey reveals a significant gap between companies’ familiarity with established data law and their knowledge of newer AI-specific regulation. The General Data Protection Regulation, the EU’s main data privacy law, in force since 2018, was rated as moderately or well understood by almost all respondents, scoring 4.15 out of 5.
The EU AI Act, the bloc’s landmark legislation for artificial intelligence that entered application from 2024, was familiar to only around one in four respondents.
Scores were lower still for the EU Data Act (2.37 out of 5) and the EU Cybersecurity Act (2.31 out of 5), both of which carry compliance implications for companies deploying AI systems.
“Companies are investing in AI and building new solutions, but their knowledge of the applicable regulation is still on thin ground,” said Teemu Moilanen, a doctor of science in economics and business at FAIR, who led the study’s design. “This can lead to unexpected compliance risks. One of our tasks is to help companies navigate this changing environment.”
Hiring intentions mixed
Training and upskilling in AI was the support service most in demand, scoring 3.58 out of 5 among respondents, ahead of rapid prototyping and testing services (3.26 out of 5).
A third of respondents said they planned to hire an AI specialist within the next year — a sign, the report’s authors suggest, that AI is increasingly regarded as a strategic investment rather than an experimental tool.
The picture for smaller companies is less clear-cut.
Firms with fewer than 20 employees showed significantly lower recruitment intentions compared with the equivalent survey FAIR conducted in 2021, suggesting that smaller organisations may be falling further behind and requiring more external support than larger counterparts.
Methodology note
The survey was designed to capture practice among companies already using or piloting AI, not as a representative sample of the Finnish business population as a whole. Organisations with no AI activity were excluded.
The study’s findings therefore describe the leading edge of adoption rather than the average Finnish company, and the challenges identified reflect conditions among relatively advanced users. How far behind the broader population lags is not addressed by the data.
AI Implementation in Finnish Businesses 2026 survey is available to download in text format here and as a graphic version here.
