AI in Finnish Business 2026
Finland’s business landscape is increasingly splitting into two camps when it comes to leveraging AI. The report How Finland Utilizes AI in 2026 by AI Finland and Business Finland shows that the number of advanced companies has more than quadrupled in two years, while at the same time over half of organizations remain stuck in the evaluation and preparation phase of AI adoption. The previously broad middle group has practically disappeared.
The report is based on an extensive analysis of Finnish companies and AI use cases, and it paints a picture of rapidly diverging development. This divide is visible across industries as well as company sizes — and it risks impacting the competitiveness of the entire national economy.
Key findings of the study
The growing divide threatens Finland’s competitiveness — forerunners are pulling ahead while cautious companies stand still
The benefits of AI are accumulating for companies that have moved from experimentation to strategic use. At the same time, more than half of companies have not yet gotten started. As the adoption of digital technologies in Finland is linked to higher revenue and productivity, a deepening divide could weaken the competitiveness of the entire national economy. New ways are particularly needed to support small companies and traditional industries.
Investment levels are too modest relative to the vision
The report’s experts call for bold investments and greater ambition. The reality reflected in the data is different: a typical AI project remains under €100,000, and there are only two investments exceeding €1 million. Productization and business transformation clearly require significantly larger investments than internal efficiency improvements. Bridging the investment gap will require both greater risk-taking from companies and new public funding instruments.
Health technology and industrial AI can be key drivers of Finland’s success in global competition
Industrial companies are integrating AI into equipment, sensors, and production lines in ways that pure software development cannot replace. The €8–11 billion efficiency pressure in the public sector creates an exceptional domestic market driver for health technology. Actively nurturing these strengths is a strategic choice for Finland.
Research collaboration is Finland’s untapped leverage
Finland has a world-class research infrastructure: LUMI, the ELLIS Institute, and strong fundamental research. Companies that engage in research collaboration are more likely to productize AI solutions than others. Yet collaboration is still relatively rare and often small in scale. Strengthening the bridge between academia and industry — for example through co-funded research teams and long-term partnership models — could be the most important accelerator of Finland’s AI transformation.
Havainto 1
Finland’s business landscape is splitting in two in AI adoption — and the middle ground is disappearing
The share of advanced companies has more than quadrupled in two years, while at the same time over half of organizations are still stuck in the evaluation and preparation phase. The previously broad middle group has almost entirely disappeared. The divide is also visible across industries and company sizes.
Digia analyzed the companies participating in the AI maturity survey.
The reported scale of AI investments by companies that applied for seed funding and those included in the use case library.
AI is moving from standalone tools into core business
Nearly half of the forerunner companies in the dataset are productizing AI for their customers or have integrated it into their products. These companies invest more and measure success more systematically than those focusing solely on improving internal processes or customer service.
Havainto 3
AI integrated into the physical world holds particular potential
Health technology and manufacturing stand out in the transformation initiatives and investments of forerunner companies. These companies leverage computer vision, predictive analytics, and digital twins — technologies whose competitive advantage cannot be replicated by software alone.
Companies that participated in the AI Gala or applied for seed funding.
Companies that have applied for seed funding or are included in the use case library.
Havainto 4
Finland’s AI ecosystem’s key asset — research collaboration — remains underutilized
Companies that engage in research collaboration are significantly more likely to productize AI solutions than others, yet even among the most advanced initiatives in the dataset, only one in five involves direct R&D collaboration with universities or research institutions.
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