Poland faces AI adoption gap and startup scaling hurdles

Poland faces a significant gap in artificial intelligence adoption within its business sector. While individual AI competency and usage rates among the population align with European and US averages, Polish companies lag behind. In 2025, only 8.36% of enterprises with 10 or more employees utilized AI technologies, significantly lower than the EU average of 19.95%. This gap is most pronounced in small businesses, where adoption stands at 5.79% compared to 17% in the EU.

Legislative frameworks are evolving, with the Polish AI systems law coming into effect in August 2026. Meanwhile, the startup ecosystem remains stable, with Poland ranking 33rd globally and 19th in Europe according to the 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report. However, Polish startups face substantial hurdles in international scaling, including limited access to late-stage capital, regulatory instability, and a lack of sales expertise and foreign market partnerships.