The use of Artificial Intelligence by Greek businesses is particularly strengthened, although investments in the sector continue to move at relatively low levels. However, despite the contradiction, the majority of entrepreneurs estimate that AI will be a key driver for boosting productivity and efficiency in the coming years.
The above emerge from the findings of the entrepreneurship survey by EY Greece, EY Entrepreneurship Barometer Greece 2026. The survey was conducted for the second consecutive year, between 2 February and 9 March 2026, with the participation of 167 entrepreneurs.
Organizational innovation is the priority
Greek entrepreneurs recognize the important role of innovation, but unlike the average across all the countries that participated in the survey, they prioritize organizational innovation (59%), choosing to improve the way they operate before investing more dynamically in processes concerning production, distribution, or financial management.
As regards the use of digital technologies, the biggest increase was recorded in solutions that enhance decision-making and efficiency, such as Artificial Intelligence and machine learning (83%, from 65% last year) and data analytics (71%). At the same time, particular emphasis is also placed on infrastructures that ensure resilience, such as cybersecurity and cloud computing.
Investments in AI remain restrained
However, despite the increased use, investments in Artificial Intelligence and other digital technologies remain limited. Specifically, over the last three years, the majority has invested up to €25,000 (39%) or not at all (20%) in AI.
There is, however, an improvement of eight percentage points among those who stated that they have invested from €100,001 to €250,000 (8%, from 5% in 2025) and above €250,000 (10%, from 5% in 2025), which is particularly encouraging. Consequently, the overall picture compared with 2025, but also in comparison with the average of the countries in the sample, is improved.
Strong expectations
At the same time, three out of four entrepreneurs in Greece (75%) and even more in larger companies (85%) in businesses (with turnover above €10 million) estimate that Artificial Intelligence will contribute significantly to strengthening business operations and productivity over the next three years.
This estimate is in line with the priority they give to strengthening their organizational effectiveness through innovation over the next twelve months. They also expect that it will improve the quality and speed of decision-making (60%).
Regarding the level of integration, based on the survey data, Greek businesses integrate AI to a higher degree than the average of the countries that participated in the survey, mainly in data analysis, personal development, and the optimization of marketing actions, while its use remains limited in critical functions, such as financial management, security and risk management, and supply chain optimization.
Furthermore, Greek entrepreneurs seem to identify benefits from the implementation of digital technologies over the last three years, to a greater extent than the average of the countries in the sample, especially in terms of increasing efficiency and productivity, strengthening innovation, and the speed of technology adoption, while the impact on functions such as better understanding of customers remains limited.
Key concerns are data protection and cost
On the other hand, concerns around the use of digital technologies are also not absent, with the main ones relating to data protection risks, the lack of clear standards for the use of AI, the rising cost of implementation and maintenance, and the challenges of employee training.