Italian SMEs Prefer Human Oversight Over AI for Financial Decisions

A Qonto survey of 1,000 Italian small‑and‑medium enterprises and freelancers finds that 78 % of owners would not delegate financial decisions to artificial intelligence, citing lack of trust (36 %) and a desire to retain direct control (42.3 %). The same share also says a human banking contact remains essential. The study shows a maturity gap: companies operating 6‑10 years are the most dynamic, with 20 % already using AI tools and 33 % willing to let AI handle finance, while startups under two years are far more cautious (only 19.5 % would delegate and 43.4 % explicitly distrust AI). Mature firms also adopt neobanks more (27 % vs 15 % of startups). A clear generational divide emerges – 69.8 % of entrepreneurs aged 18‑34 use AI tools versus just 37.5 % of those over 55, and 42.6 % of the older group say they would never adopt AI. Overall optimism about the next three years is modest (5.66 / 10) and only 37.6 % rate the outlook above 7. Respondents also view Italy as less competitive than other European nations, with nearly 60 % seeing little benefit from the national recovery plan.