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Greece is emerging as one of Europe’s faster-growing artificial intelligence markets, with the share of businesses using AI tools rising to 47%, from 34% a year earlier, according to the study Unlocking Greece’s AI Potential 2026.

The increase represents an annual growth rate of 38%, compared with 29% across Europe, according to the study by Strand Partners, commissioned by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The research is based on surveys of 1,000 business executives and 1,000 citizens in Greece. It charts a shift from asking whether companies use AI to examining how they use it and whether they are prepared for emerging technologies such as agentic AI, physical AI and advanced robotics.

AI becomes a strategic priority

The growing adoption of AI is accompanied by a change in how businesses view the technology.

Some 63% of businesses say AI is a top or high priority, while 72% consider it a vital or important factor in their overall business strategy.

The benefits are already measurable. Among businesses that have adopted AI, 88% report productivity improvements, while 76% expect the technology to support business growth over the next 12 months.

Another 56% report faster innovation cycles. Among startups, that figure rises to 74%.

Most businesses, however, remain at an early stage of AI adoption. Some 61% of businesses using AI primarily focus on applications that improve efficiency and automate routine tasks.

Another 22% are at an intermediate stage, having integrated AI across more business functions, while just 17% have reached the most advanced, transformational stage.

These businesses include companies developing customized systems, combining multiple models or using agentic and autonomous AI capabilities. Although still a relatively small share, the figure has increased from 12% in 2025, suggesting a gradual shift from experimentation toward more complex applications.

Cloud infrastructure supports AI growth

The expansion of cloud infrastructure is identified as one of the main factors behind the growth of AI adoption.

The share of businesses using cloud services has risen to 60%, from 49% last year. Adoption stands at 58% among small and medium-sized businesses and 67% among large companies.

Some 47% of businesses identify access to cloud infrastructure as one of the most important factors supporting AI adoption and integration.

At the same time, 66% of businesses using AI consider grants or public programs important to adoption, while 17% say government support was decisive.

The study also highlights the importance of flexibility in choosing technology providers. Some 71% of businesses consider the ability to choose and switch AI providers extremely or very important, while 47% already use providers from more than one geographic region.

Access to global technology companies is considered important by 74% of businesses for AI adoption, 77% for innovation and 81% for rapidly expanding operations.

Limited readiness for next-generation AI

Despite the rapid increase in adoption, Greek businesses do not yet feel fully prepared for the next generation of AI technologies.

Only 19% say they are fully or very ready to adopt technologies such as agentic AI, advanced robotics and physical AI. By contrast, 41% say they are minimally or not at all ready.

Agentic AI — systems capable of planning and carrying out tasks with limited human intervention — remains at an early stage.

Just 2% of businesses say they have fully deployed agentic AI, while 18% are experimenting with or piloting related solutions. However, 44% say they plan to use the technology or are considering adopting it.

Among businesses that have already implemented agentic AI, 54% report increased operational efficiency or productivity, 48% report faster decision-making and task execution, and 39% report improved scalability.

The main barriers to adoption are a lack of skills and limited financial resources. Some 48% cite shortages of AI and digital skills, 36% report insufficient internal resources and 31% cite limited workforce capacity.

Only 16% of businesses believe they currently have strong AI skills.

Citizens are adopting AI faster

Familiarity with AI is also increasing among Greek citizens. Some 82% say they are very or fairly familiar with the technology.

About 29% use AI tools daily, while another 27% use them at least once a week.

Some 64% have used a chatbot in the past six months, while 53% have used personalized media recommendation tools.

Among workers, 48% say their use of AI for personal purposes is more advanced than their use of the technology at work.

Overall attitudes toward AI are positive. Some 57% expect AI to improve their daily lives over the next year, while 47% say they view AI more positively when it is adopted by the public sector.

At the same time, 38% say AI has a significant impact on their work. Among those workers, 61% view that impact positively.

Training, however, remains limited. Only 18% have received specialized AI training over the past year, while 59% say they need additional training in digital skills.

Startups face risk of moving abroad

Startups are among the main pillars of Greece’s AI ecosystem. Some 73% have adopted AI, significantly above the national business average of 47%, while startups also report greater readiness for next-generation technologies.

At the same time, the study identifies a risk that some startups could move outside Europe.

Some 41% of startups say they would consider leaving Europe to gain greater access to capital, faster scaling and larger markets. Another 44% would not consider such a move, while 15% have not decided.

Factors that could encourage a startup to move abroad include greater availability of financing, better access to global markets, faster international growth, a more favorable regulatory environment and access to specialized talent.

Factors that could encourage startups to remain in Europe include increased venture capital funding, clearer and more proportionate legislation, faster scaling within Europe, stronger public incentives and improved availability of specialized workers.

Priorities for the next phase

The study proposes a series of measures aimed at turning increased AI adoption into broader economic and social transformation.

These include strengthening digital skills, improving access to financing, accelerating the digital transformation of businesses and simplifying procedures for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The report also recommends maintaining technological neutrality in public procurement and allowing businesses to choose among different cloud and AI providers based on security, interoperability, resilience and service value.

The public sector could also play an important role. Some 42% of businesses consider opportunities to sell to the government decisive or very important to their decision to adopt AI, while 27% identify complex or slow public procurement procedures as an obstacle to scaling solutions.

The study also calls for clear and proportionate implementation of the European Union’s AI Act, with practical guidance for businesses, a functioning testing environment and no unjustified additional national requirements.

The study concludes that Greece has moved beyond the initial stage of AI adoption but has not yet fully realized the technology’s transformative potential. The next phase will depend on businesses and the public sector investing in skills, infrastructure, data, financing and safe scaling as AI advances beyond experimentation into more complex applications.