Finland drives AI growth amid low take-up concerns

Finland plans to ramp up funding for advanced technology-specific research and development projects and key state industrial development agencies in a bid to bolster innovation and use of artificial intelligence (AI) among Finnish enterprises. The drive comes as a countrywide AI survey, Unlocking AI value in Finnish organisations , raises concerns over the prospect of Finland falling behind international competitors in the use of AI and digital technologies. The Finnish government’s response to AI growth is happening against a backdrop where indigenous companies and their central industry organisations have intensified lobbying efforts in search of enhanced financial incentives. This is to help small and medium-sized enterprises access state funding to train their employees in next-generation technologies, and acquire talent in the AI and digital fields. The industry survey, conducted by Finnish financial group OP Pohjola in collaboration with global management consultancy Accenture, found that just 11% of Finnish companies are using AI strategically despite growing investments in the technology. Released on 29 May, the survey revealed that while Finnish companies are raising investments in AI, almost 89% are failing to use the technology “with a clear strategic focus to meet customer needs”. Data produced for the survey was collected during the period between December 2025 and March 2026. Concerning findings According to the Accenture-OP Pohjola survey, based on interviews and written responses from executives holding leading decision-making technology advancement roles in their enterprises, approximately 40% of Finnish companies believe their AI investments will grow by at least 25% over the next two years. Additionally, around 20% of executives forecast that AI investments might plateau or decrease in the future. The survey’s findings show that the adoption of AI tends to be mainly reactive in Finland at present, said OP Pohjola CIO Kasimir Hirn . A deeper analysis of data collated, he said, indicates that the optimum potential benefits of planned investments by companies may never be realised given the low percentage of enterprises that are currently not using AI strategically. “There have been many reports on the uptake of AI in Finland, and some reveal a lag in leveraging the benefits of the technology,” said Hirn. “The survey revealed precisely why this is the case, as well as why some companies are succeeding and others not. Those in the ‘not’ category tend to lack strategic clarity about the benefits of using AI. These organisations are acting hastily due to the fear of being left behind. Their AI experiments focus on automation of internal processes and use of efficiency indicators.” The survey infers that many of those Finnish organisations “experimenting” with the technology at present are finding it difficult to harness AI in a way that provides strategic value to their companies and business operations. Moreover, some 70% of executives surveyed stated that AI has not delivered on initial expectations to raise turnover. Moreover, 68% of responding executives maintain that AI has not contributed to generating cost savings in their organisations. Two groups The survey reveals “opposite thinking” on AI that places corporations into two distinct groups, said Hirn. The first group, composed of Finnish organisations succeeding with AI, have adopted strategies that are based on using AI to create unique value in their business operations. The second group, which are failing to leverage optimum gains from the technology, are likely to involve enterprises preoccupied with the question, “What can AI automate?” “These companies may be optimising processes that become irrelevant as customer expectations change and competitors implement the same efficiencies,” he said. OP Pohjola sharpened its profile as a leading Nordic financial services player in the AI space in February 2026, when it partnered with Qutwo, the Helsinki-headquartered AI and quantum computing (QC) technology development firm, to establish a joint R&D unit. The Helsinki-based QC-AI R&D unit is tasked with identifying the opportunities that advanced QC and AI can offer financial services providers such as OP Pohjola, while accelerating the development of offerings leveraging these technologies. The uptick in state investments earmarked to grow AI is reflected in the Finnish government’s Technology Advancement Strategy, contained in the 2026 budget. The budget has provisioned €1bn in spending across a range of AI-related projects over the period between 2026 and 2028. The elevated level of AI investments will require a higher role for key state industrial development agencies such as Invest in Finland (IIF) and Tesi. The increased state funding flowing to IIF is powering core innovation-led initiatives, including the development of Finnish ecosystems to drive innovation in space technology and defence AI. The long-term strategic objective is to build ecosystems that can serve as launchpads for startups with pioneering ideas and AI technologies. Read more about AI in Finland The success of an online course in understanding artificial intelligence launched in Finland has led to a global roll-out. Authorities in Helsinki will use artificial intelligence and video technologies to help them automate monitoring of crowds. Finland could play an important role in increasing the understanding of what artificial intelligence software can do for society. Finland is looking to a multi-track approach of home-grown innovation and spending, inward investments and international partnerships to optimise its potential to grow as a competitive global player in the AI domain, said Lars Hagebris , the head of International Operations at IIF. “Finland ranks among the most innovative ecosystems worldwide,” he said. “For global innovators, predictability is the key and we are well-positioned to deliver on that expectation.” The Finnish government’s higher level of ambition and deepening commitment to driving economic growth through AI-led innovation is welded to the target of having 4% of the country’s GDP invested in R&D by 2030. In a parallel economic growth-driven goal, Finland is also on course to become carbon neutral by 2035. With strengthened funding at IIF and Tesi, the more productive environment for strategic partnerships has resulted in some of Finland’s leading technology brands and innovators forming strategic AI partnerships to access critical state funding. Among the more high-profile collaborations is a partnership between Nokia and NestAI to develop AI-based defence technologies. The AI joint venture is backed by a €100m investment from Tesi (Teollisuussijoitus), the state-owned company created in 1995 to invest in venture capital and private equity funds, as well as directly in startups, scaleups and large industrial projects.​ The Nokia-NestAI partnership will harness Nokia’s expertise with secure connectivity and multimedia platforms with NestAI’s mission-critical physical AI-driven capabilities and systems for unmanned vehicles and command and control applications. The joint venture was rolled out in the wake of Nokia establishing its dedicated Nokia Defence and AI/digital technologies development unit. The unit is expanding the company’s profile in the national security and defence sphere. Nokia Defence’s lead product development areas include battlefield communications, AI-enhanced sensing and real-time data systems for military use. “This was a logical course for Nokia to take,” said Justin Hotard, Nokia’s chief executive. “Our partnership with NestAI, and the overall investment, will help shape the future of AI-driven solutions. The investment will accelerate the development of next-generation capabilities for defence and national security.”