Only one in five large Finnish companies looks to AI primarily for growth, OP Pohjola survey finds
According to OP Pohjola’s Yrityspulssi (Business Pulse) survey of 100 Finnish companies with a turnover of at least €200 million, only 22% prioritise business growth over internal efficiency in their use of AI. One in three say their AI investment is driven by caution rather than the pursuit of opportunity.
Martti Asikainen | 3.10.2026 | Photo by OP Pohjola
Half of the large companies surveyed by OP Pohjola, Finland’s largest financial services group, said business growth is not their main aim in using artificial intelligence. Only 22% said they prioritised growth over internal efficiency, while 28% took no position either way.
The survey was carried out by Taloustutkimus through telephone interviews with 100 companies with a turnover of at least €200 million between 15 May and 4 June 2026. One in three respondents said their AI investments were guided by caution rather than the pursuit of opportunity. A further 45% disagreed, and 21% neither agreed nor disagreed.
"No one can stay behind at the station"
Katja Keitaanniemi, chief executive of OP Corporate Bank, said it was interesting that a relatively large share of respondents took no position on what they were aiming for with AI or what was guiding their decisions.
“Companies know that we’re aboard a fast-moving train and that no one can afford to stay behind at the station now,” she said.
But for the sake of growth and innovation, Keitaanniemi argued, it was vital for firms to stop and think about strategy and make sure their AI investments were heading in the right direction.
According to Eurostat, 38% of Finnish companies with at least ten employees used AI in 2025, the second-highest share in the EU after Denmark.
Keitaanniemi noted that several comparisons have found Finnish firms more cautious than their international peers in pursuing growth, and said the same pattern was now visible in their use of AI.
“Finland is one of Europe’s leaders in AI adoption, but that doesn’t yet mean we’ll win the AI race. If we settle for thinking too small and just keep adding another horse to the team, we’ll probably never invent the car,” she said.
Few can measure the payoff
Although AI is widely used in Finnish business, only 15% of respondents said they could reliably measure its impact on business results. Nearly half (48%), however, believed they knew what kind of business value they wanted from it.
The results echo a study published by OP Pohjola and Accenture earlier this year, in which 71% of business leaders said their organisation’s use of AI focused on efficiency gains.
Only 11% were using AI with a clear strategic approach, and 70% had not seen a measurable impact on revenue. Even so, 38% expected to increase their AI investment by at least a quarter over the next two years.
“What will decide the AI race isn’t how many employees use an AI assistant. What matters is where the next export products, intellectual property and business models are created. If Finland remains merely a user of technology developed by others, the greatest added value may be created elsewhere,” Keitaanniemi said.
