INSIGHT · DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION
AI has reached Greek SMEs, but not yet their daily work
Two surveys published in October 2026 both put AI use among Greek businesses at 47%.
Far fewer have made it part of normal operations with measurable results: 10% of SMEs with 10–50 staff.
The most useful finding is the gap between "we've tried it" and "we use it every day".
Key figures
| Figure | Value | Source · date |
|---|---|---|
| SMEs (10–50 staff) using AI in the business | 47% (39% in 2025) | AI Readiness Index 2026, EntersoftOne & ELTRUN AUEB, 350 SMEs · Insider.gr, 20 Oct 2026 |
| SMEs with substantive use (normal operation + measurable results) | 10% (5% in 2025) | same · Insider.gr 20 Oct; SEPE 21 Oct 2026 |
| Readiness index (0–100) | 20 (15 in 2025, +33%) | same · Insider.gr 20 Oct; SEPE 21 Oct 2026 |
| See process automation as important vs. have adopted it | 54% vs 5% | same · SEPE, 21 Oct 2026 |
| Businesses of all sizes using AI | 47% (34% last year) | Strand Partners for AWS, 1,000 businesses + 1,000 citizens · Euro2day, 2 Oct 2026 |
| AI users at basic / transformative stage | 61% / 17% (66% / 12%) | same · Euro2day, 2 Oct 2026 |
The two 47% figures come from different surveys with different samples (350 SMEs of 10–50 staff vs 1,000 businesses of all sizes). They match by coincidence and should not be compared or combined.
What it means
- SMEs: the first step is done. The next is to put AI into one specific process and measure whether anything changed. Training is the usual starting point: 1 in 10 have done it and 1 in 4 plan to.
- Telecom and energy providers: cloud use is rising (60%), and moving from trial to daily use depends on reliable connectivity.
- Contractors and field-service firms: job documentation, reports and customer correspondence are mostly text, the most widespread tool type in the AUEB survey (60% in regular use). AI inside ERP/CRM is still at 3%.
What to watch
The next AI Readiness Index (can substantive use keep doubling?), training and funding schemes, cloud uptake, and whether transformative use (17%) keeps rising.