Polish entrepreneurs are among the most active investors in artificial intelligence solutions across Central, Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe, according to the latest edition of the EY Entrepreneurship Barometer. Over the past three years, 39% of Polish companies have invested between PLN 100,000 and PLN 499,000 in AI implementation, compared with a regional average of just 19%. At the same time, 67% of businesses in Poland plan to introduce innovative products or services over the next 12 months, versus 56% across the region.
Polish entrepreneurs stand out from their regional peers both in terms of the scale of their investment in artificial intelligence and the pace at which they are adopting digital solutions. Increasingly, these technologies are being treated as key drivers of growth and competitive advantage.
As many as 39% of Polish companies surveyed said they had spent between PLN 100,000 and PLN 499,000 on AI over the past three years — more than twice the regional average of 19%.
Polish businesses also lead in the higher investment bracket. Some 12% reported AI spending of between PLN 500,000 and PLN 999,000, compared with a regional average of 7%. A further 8% said they had invested more than PLN 1 million in artificial intelligence solutions during the past 36 months.
EY’s findings suggest that this higher level of investment is already translating into concrete business initiatives, with technology increasingly becoming a foundation for the development of new products, services and operating models.
Some 67% of Polish entrepreneurs expect to introduce product or service innovations over the next 12 months, compared with a regional average of 56%.
Process-related changes are planned by 57% of companies, an increase of 15 percentage points from a year earlier, while 53% intend to introduce strategic or marketing innovations, up from 41% a year ago.
Meanwhile, the share of companies planning no innovation-related activities remains very low, falling from 6% to 4%.
“Strong increases in planned changes indicate that Polish entrepreneurs are moving beyond the testing phase and are becoming increasingly effective at translating AI-supported solutions into tangible business benefits. This is visible not only in traditional sectors of the economy, but also in the rapid development of emerging industries such as the space sector,” said Piotr Ciepiela, Managing Partner of Consulting at EY Poland.
“The strong performance of Polish companies, exceeding the regional average by more than 10 percentage points, is encouraging. This is particularly important at a time of heightened uncertainty, when innovation is a key factor in maintaining business agility,” he added.
Poland Builds a Clear Lead in Digital Technologies
Poland performs above the regional average in almost every technology-related category covered by the EY survey.
The largest gaps are visible in the increased use of digital technologies in day-to-day business operations.
Digital customer experience solutions are being used more extensively by 70% of Polish companies, compared with 43% across the region. For process automation, the figures are 66% and 33%, respectively.
The gap is also substantial in augmented and virtual reality, where 45% of Polish respondents reported increased use compared with 18% regionally.
Cybersecurity is another major area of investment, with 68% of Polish companies reporting greater use of related technologies, compared with 51% across the region.
The results suggest that digital transformation in Poland is becoming increasingly systematic rather than consisting of isolated technology projects. It remains one of the most important areas of investment and competitive development for businesses.
The survey also shows that Polish companies are primarily deploying artificial intelligence in areas where it can generate direct business value and support decision-making.
Data analysis is currently the most common AI application, cited by 48% of companies, followed by customer service at 44% and personal development and training at 40%.
AI is somewhat less frequently used for marketing, at 38%, and the automation of administrative tasks, at 34%.
Companies Expect AI to Improve Productivity and Reduce Errors
Expectations surrounding artificial intelligence remain high.
Over the coming years, Polish entrepreneurs primarily expect AI to improve operational efficiency and productivity, cited by 47% of respondents.
Another 46% expect the technology to help reduce errors and improve quality control, while 38% anticipate lower labour costs as a result of automation.
Better support for decision-making processes was mentioned by 37% of respondents.
Some of these benefits are already becoming visible, although Polish businesses report them less frequently than companies elsewhere in the region.
Some 44% of Polish entrepreneurs said digital technologies had improved efficiency and productivity, compared with 60% across the region.
Cost savings were reported by 43% of Polish companies, versus 51% regionally, while 43% said digitalisation had improved their ability to respond rapidly to changing market conditions, close to the regional average of 45%.
The difference is more pronounced when it comes to revenue growth.
Only 24% of Polish companies identified higher revenues as a benefit of digital transformation, compared with 38% across the region.
This suggests that while Polish companies are investing aggressively in digital technologies and AI, these investments have yet to translate fully into a sense that their broader business objectives have been achieved.
“Polish companies have already moved beyond the initial excitement surrounding artificial intelligence. Rising investment shows that AI is becoming an important part of business transformation, but the next challenge will be converting these implementations more effectively into measurable results — from productivity and cost savings to revenue growth,” said Bartosz Pacuszka, Partner at EY Poland and AI Technology Leader.
“More entrepreneurs are therefore beginning to treat artificial intelligence like any other investment that is expected to deliver a specific benefit. That benefit, however, must be properly defined and measured, as AI solutions often require entirely new performance metrics,” he added.
Regulation and Security Matter More Than Cost
The latest EY Entrepreneurship Barometer suggests that implementation costs are no longer the biggest obstacle to the further development of artificial intelligence.
Instead, regulatory uncertainty has emerged as the leading concern.
A lack of clear AI regulations was identified as a barrier by 43% of entrepreneurs.
Data security and privacy ranked second, cited by 38% of respondents, followed by concerns about potential job losses at 32%.
By comparison, only 17% identified implementation costs as the main factor holding back AI adoption.
Regulation is therefore becoming one of the central issues shaping the next phase of artificial intelligence development in business.
Companies increasingly appear to accept the technology itself, but they want greater certainty about the rules governing its responsible use, data protection requirements, oversight of algorithms and the impact of automation on employees.
“The survey clearly shows that entrepreneurs are no longer afraid of the technology itself. The biggest challenge today is ensuring compliance with a rapidly changing regulatory environment and building trust in AI systems,” said Joanna Ostrowska, Partner at EY Poland and Leader of the Digital Team at EY Law.
“Organisations that are already investing in appropriate procedures, risk management and oversight of artificial intelligence will therefore be in a stronger competitive position when the new requirements come fully into force. The additional time provided under the AI Act should be treated as a strategic opportunity to prepare organisations for the responsible scaling of AI solutions rather than as a reason to postpone action,” she added.
About the Survey
In the first quarter of 2026, EY surveyed entrepreneurs in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Kazakhstan, Malta, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Hungary.
The Polish companies included in the study represented primarily the industrial, energy, consumer products, healthcare, technology, telecommunications and media, and financial services sectors.
More than one-third of the Polish businesses surveyed had been operating for more than 20 years, while 3% were start-ups.
Some 32% of business owners had founded their companies independently, while 37% had established them together with other people.
A further 9% had inherited their businesses and 11% had acquired them. Overall, 32% of respondents represented family-owned companies.
About EY
EY, formerly known as Ernst & Young, is an international professional services organisation providing consulting, assurance, tax, legal and management advisory services.
It is one of the so-called “Big Four” accounting and professional services firms, alongside Deloitte, KPMG and PwC.
EY operates in more than 150 countries and employs hundreds of thousands of professionals worldwide.
The organisation’s global headquarters are in London. EY was formed through the 1989 merger of Ernst & Whinney and Arthur Young and has operated under the shortened EY brand since 2013.
EY has been present in Poland since the early 1990s and is one of the country’s largest professional services organisations. It serves clients across a wide range of industries, providing services including financial statement audits, tax advisory, transaction support, business consulting and technology consulting.
Source: CEO.com.pl / EY
