According to the inaugural edition of the Accenture AI Progress Barometer, Europe's largest companies are showing significant signs of progress in AI readiness, narrowing the gap with North America. However, the report warns of a growing divide between large and small enterprises that could undermine the region's overall competitiveness.
European Momentum vs. North American Lead
The Barometer, which evaluates approximately 3,000 companies globally on a scale of 0 to 100, shows that European firms improved their score by 1.6 points over the last six months, outpacing the 1.1-point improvement in North America. Despite this faster progress, North America maintains the overall lead with an average score of 48.9 compared to Europe's 43.1.
"AI readiness" is defined by the availability of quality data, a skilled workforce, and necessary operational processes. The research reveals a concerning divergence within Europe:
- Large European firms (revenue >$10B) are only 2.1 points behind their North American counterparts.
- Smaller European companies lag behind their North American peers by a significant 7.6 points.
Leading Sectors and Nations
Progress is not uniform across the continent. France (+5 points), the UK (+4.8), and Spain (+4.6) are leading the improvement in Europe. At a sectoral level, insurance companies recorded the highest global increase (+8 points), followed by travel and tourism (+5.7) and consumer goods (+5.2).
"These organizations understand that for AI to deliver greater value faster, total business reinvention is required, rather than just adopting off-the-shelf solutions," stated Mauro Macchi, Accenture's CEO for EMEA.
Gavin Stephenson, Accenture’s AI & Data lead for EMEA, emphasized that the transition from experimentation to large-scale implementation requires clean data and upskilling, citing the insurance industry as an example where simple claims are now being fully automated.
