Greece is emerging as one of the fastest-growing Artificial Intelligence (AI) markets in Europe, according to a new report by Amazon Web Services (AWS) titled "Unlocking the Potential of AI in Greece 2026." Despite impressive growth rates, the study emphasizes the urgent need to move from basic tool usage to meaningful business transformation.
The Adoption Landscape
AI adoption among Greek businesses has surged to 47%, recording an annual growth rate of 38%—significantly higher than the European average of 29%. However, the depth of this adoption varies:
- Basic Use (61%): Focused on chatbots and off-the-shelf solutions for routine tasks.
- Intermediate Stage (22%): Integration into multiple functions and improved customer experiences.
- Transformative Stage (17%): Use of advanced systems, custom models, and autonomous AI.
While the transformative stage grew from 12% last year, the majority of businesses remain focused on incremental efficiency gains rather than developing disruptive products.
Barriers and Challenges
The skills gap remains the primary obstacle, with only 16% of respondents stating they possess strong AI expertise. This issue is most acute in manufacturing (55%) and construction (53%).
Financial constraints are also evident: 54% of businesses do not have a dedicated AI budget, while 36% cite insufficient internal resources. Nevertheless, 68% of companies expect AI to account for 18% of total IT spending within the next three years.
Future Priorities
Regarding public investment, both businesses and citizens prioritize workforce education (44%) and healthcare (48%), while direct investment in cloud and AI infrastructure ranks low on the priority list (8%). AWS stresses that to maintain momentum, simplified funding processes for SMEs and flexibility in choosing technology providers are essential.
