Romanians adopt AI faster than workplaces are ready to integrate it, survey says

More than 83% of Romanians use artificial intelligence, but only 15.4% use it at work. At the same time, 22% of employees turn to AI first 3 when they are unsure how to handle a work task, and 27% understand that the technology will transform their work, but do not know how to prepare, according to an analysis by CES AI Institute.

Mohammed Benzakour, a specialist in organisational transformation and AI adoption, spoke in Bucharest about the impact of AI on work and decision-making within organizations. Joining him was Adrian-Victor Vevera, director general of the Romanian National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (ICI Bucharest), who presented the opportunities that RO AI Factory, Romania’s first national infrastructure dedicated to artificial intelligence, can create for companies and for the research and innovation ecosystem.

The two speakers took part in the debate “Human-Led, AI-Enabled: A Necessary Conversation,” organized by CES AI Institute in partnership with the Carol I Central University Library, as part of the series of events hosted by the Strada de C’Arte Festival.

The discussion addressed both the changes companies need to manage as they adopt AI and the conditions Romania must meet to turn this technology into a source of competitiveness.

“As technology provides more information and more options, it becomes essential for people to know what they are aiming for, what risks they are willing to accept, and who owns the final decision. We see companies where preparing a decision has become faster, but the decision itself is delayed because responsibilities have remained unclear. Leaders need to give their teams the skills and the authority to act. Otherwise, AI will produce more analysis without changing outcomes,” said Mohammed Benzakour.

Romania ranks last in the European Union for the use of artificial intelligence in companies: in 2025, only 5.2% of businesses with at least ten employees used AI technologies, compared with 20% across the EU, according to the latest Eurostat data.

In this context, Adrian-Victor Vevera presented RO AI Factory, Romania’s first national artificial intelligence infrastructure. The project is hosted by ICI Bucharest and developed together with a consortium of partners.

The project aims to provide computing resources, services and expertise to researchers, start-ups, companies and public institutions. Implementation is under way, and the infrastructure is expected to become operational by the end of 2027.

“For Romania to close the gap, companies and researchers need to be able to develop and test AI solutions here. RO AI Factory will give them access to infrastructure and expertise. The results, however, will be seen in the concrete projects that the research community, businesses, and public institutions manage to build together,” said Adrian-Victor Vevera, Director General of ICI Bucharest.