While Austrians remain more cautious than other Europeans about artificial intelligence (AI), acceptance and usage are on the rise. According to a new study by consulting firm EY, 64% of Austrians now view AI positively—an increase of 12 percentage points compared to last year. Across Europe, the average is higher at 70%, up 7 points from 2024.
Nearly 8 in 10 Europeans (78%) currently use AI tools, a 6-point increase year-on-year. Austria, though still among the less enthusiastic countries, saw usage rise from 69% in 2024 to 73% this year. Leading the AI adoption charts are Switzerland (85%) as well as Spain and Portugal (both at 83%).
Positive Experiences Across the Board
The majority of Europeans report good experiences with AI: 83% say their interactions have been positive or very positive, with one in five describing them as exclusively positive. Austria again ranks near the bottom with 79%, though this still reflects widespread approval.
Text Tools Lead AI Use Cases
The most common use of AI across Europe is for text generation (61%), followed by voice assistants and chatbots (both at 39%). In Austria, the pattern is similar: 60% use text generators like ChatGPT, 42% use chatbots, and 40% rely on voice assistants.
The study surveyed nearly 5,000 employees across nine European countries, including 500 respondents in Austria.
