AI and Digital Economy, Businesses and Corporate Sector

GKI Economic Research Co. has once again conducted its survey on artificial intelligence (AI), examining how businesses perceive the growing adoption of AI, the opportunities they associate with it, and the impact they expect it to have on their operations.

The analysis focuses on businesses’ perceptions of AI reliability and the development of internal policies governing AI use. The balance index measuring businesses’ perceptions of the reliability of AI-generated content, on a scale ranging from -100 to +100, stood at -0.7 points in 2026, compared with -14.7 points a year before, representing an improvement of 14 index points. The share of respondents expressing no confidence in AI whatsoever fell from 15% to 4%. At the same time, the proportion of businesses considering AI-generated content reliable (ratings of 4 or 5) increased from 20% to 28%.

Larger firms more favorable towards AI

The research finds that differences across company size categories are relatively modest. Medium-sized and large enterprises appear somewhat more favorable towards AI-generated content than smaller businesses. A sectoral breakdown reveals that the index rose from -21.4 to -6.5 points in industry, from -12.1 to +2.5 points in trade, and from -28.8 to +5.6 points in construction. The most substantial improvement occurred in construction, where the index moved from negative to positive territory. This suggests that reservations about the reliability of AI-generated content have eased across all three sectors.

Gowing need for internal regulation

Alongside the improving perception of AI reliability, there are also signs of growing awareness of the need for internal regulation. Among all surveyed businesses 14% have internal regulations governing the use of artificial intelligence, representing an increase of 10 percentage points compared with the previous year. Nevertheless, 86% of businesses still lack such a framework. This may partly be explained by the novelty of the technology and the limited knowledge surrounding its use.

A breakdown by company size reveals a clear pattern: larger businesses are more likely to have internal AI regulations in place. While 8% of micro-enterprises and 14% of small enterprises reported having such regulations, the figure rises to 16% among medium-sized and large enterprises. Compared with the previous year, the proportion of businesses with internal AI regulations increased across all three sectors: industry, trade and construction. The most substantial increases were recorded in construction, where the share rose from 0% to 22%, and in trade, where it climbed from 7% to 18%.

When the analysis is restricted to businesses that actively use AI, the prevalence of internal regulations is higher. Within this group, 25% have internal regulations governing AI use. Differences across company size categories are also more pronounced: 15% of micro-enterprises, 24% of small enterprises, and 31% of medium-sized and large enterprises reported having such a framework. In the sectoral breakdown, construction (42%) and trade (30%) stand out in particular in terms of the share of businesses with internal regulations.

Overall, the findings point to a gradual improvement in businesses’ perceptions of AI: confidence in the reliability of the technology is growing, while the need for a more deliberate and responsible approach to its use is also gaining recognition. However, internal regulations have yet to become widespread, suggesting that businesses’ openness to technological innovation does not always go hand in hand with the establishment of formal governance frameworks for its use.