The number of Italian firms actively including artificial intelligence in their business practices has doubled. The 2025 Report by Aspen Institute Italia’s Permanent Observatory on the Adoption and Integration of Artificial Intelligence notes that AI has become firmly established in Italy’s industrial fabric. In a survey conducted on a sample of 54 Italian firms, the proportion stating that they have already embarked on initiatives involving AI was 67%, compared with 30% in 2024.
This development concerns not just the adoption of a specific technology, but also a growing awareness of AI’s potential at the strategic and system level. Businesses are extending the range of functions concerned: from initial trials in marketing and customer experience they are moving to incorporate AI on a more structural basis in decision-making, production and organizational processes.
Key areas of application include the automation of administrative and customer service processes. The principal objectives are operational efficiency and shorter time frames (22.6% of responses), followed by more rapid innovation (14.1%) and lower costs (13.6%).
The Report also shows that a large majority of firms (74%) sees AI as a key factor in global competitiveness, while 57% of those interviewed are convinced that the AI revolution will have a positive impact on the entire economic system.
For this reason too, more than half of the businesses using AI has set up specific financing arrangements: an important sign of organizational maturity. This trend is increasing: about 43% predict a significant increase in investment in the near future, while a further 31% expect a moderate increase.
Notwithstanding this optimism, many businesses still express the need for more public support: 59% feel that government support is still inadequate and hope to see more structured and accessible policies put in place to close the competitive gap at the international level.