AI Strategies Through the Eyes of Hungarian Decision-Makers

The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) is currently one of the most significant steps in digital transformation for Hungarian companies, but while large corporations are scaling up rapidly, the majority of SMEs are still struggling with a lack of data infrastructure and financing.

At the Top Executives Roundtable panel discussion during Portfolio’s AI in Business 2026 conference, participants discussed, among other things, how compliance and data security are setting the pace at banks, why “safe experimentation” is key, what resources can bridge the financing gap for SMEs, and whether AI implementation will pay off. They also discussed whether employees should be concerned about the rise of AI.

The corporate adoption of artificial intelligence is currently one of the most important steps in digital transformation within the domestic economy. As Zoltán Ács, Deputy CEO of MKIK Capital Fund Management and President of the Hungarian Fintech Association emphasized at the discussion, the rate of technology adoption among large Hungarian companies had already reached 41% by 2024, and this figure is expected to double by 2025. In contrast, adoption rates among small and medium-sized enterprises are significantly lower: last year, only 7-8% of them used some form of artificial intelligence solution. He believes that one of the main reasons for this gap is that smaller companies lack data-driven management methods and the necessary technological foundations, and without these, large language models and predictive algorithms cannot function effectively.

In a large enterprise environment, the speed and success of development are largely determined by data security and compliance regulations. Márton Dósa, head of innovation at OTP Bank, pointed out that the financial institution cannot afford to make any compromises regarding the protection of customer data, which occasionally slows down the rollout of new features. The bank currently uses both centralized and decentralized development models simultaneously, and in the future, the focus will shift to scaling so-called enterprise-level agent technologies.

At Magyar Telekom, creating a secure testing environment is also a top priority. József Kerekes, the telecommunications company’s chief technology officer, emphasized that their goal is to reach an internal user rate of 80%, and they have already set two specific objectives for this year that will have a significant impact on the company’s operations.

The participants of the panel discussion agreed that the future of the sector on a global scale is shaped by the pace of development in the United States and China, as well as the duality of European regulatory efforts. In recent years, the European Union has introduced more than a hundred digital regulations, many of which are contradictory and may slow down innovation. According to market players, a viable balance must be struck between regulation and innovation, because in the face of intense global competition, a wait-and-see approach can easily lead to an insurmountable lag. For domestic companies, finding local strategic partners, working closely with internal legal and cybersecurity teams, and engaging in continuous learning represent the surest path forward in this evolving economic environment.