New Data: More and More Companies Are Using AI

TALLINN - According to recent data from Statistics Estonia, 34 percent of companies are already using artificial intelligence (AI), one and a half times more than last year.

However, alongside the opportunities, this rapid spread is increasingly raising questions about what the rules for using AI should be: what can be entrusted to it, what data can be shared, and where a human must remain the decision-maker.

In addition to official corporate use, the results of a 2025 study by KPMG and the University of Melbourne provide a more detailed picture of employee habits. The study included more than 48,000 people from 47 countries, with at least 1,000 adults participating from each country.

According to the study, 70 percent of working respondents in Estonia said they consciously use AI at work. This is precisely why the rapid spread of AI requires clear agreements within companies, according to Astrid Maldre, Head of the Small Business Segment at Swedbank. "AI has become a daily tool for many people, as employees quickly find ways to make their work easier with it," Maldre said. "For a business owner, it is important to have clear agreements for using AI. This way, employees know which tools they can use, what information to input into them, and where to be cautious."

In a joint workshop by Swedbank and Eesti.ai, Lembit Loo, founder of the AI strategy and training company Portata.ai and a machine intelligence strategy advisor, spoke about how to safely implement AI in a company and what principles help to better manage its use.

According to the KPMG study, 40 percent of Estonian respondents have used AI in a way that contradicts their organization's rules or guidelines. Thirty-one percent found that compliance and privacy risks have increased due to the use of AI.

"If a company is worried about data security or trade secrets, the first thought might be to simply ban the use of AI. However, an employee might find another solution and use a personal account for business matters instead. It's better to bring AI out of the shadows and create clear guidelines for its use," Loo said.

The use of AI applications not managed by the company to perform work tasks is called "shadow AI." In such cases, work-related information can end up in environments over which the company has no control.

According to Loo, when implementing AI, how the change is explained to employees and what rules are established from the outset is just as important as the technology itself.

New tools can also raise questions about how a person's own role and work will change in the future. "AI brings with it completely new fears. When a manager says we are now going to use AI, an employee's first thought might be that they are going to be replaced. Therefore, it is crucial to think very carefully about how to introduce AI into the company and how to talk about it with employees," Loo added.

The adoption of AI can be started with small steps. Loo recommends first choosing a suitable tool and giving more freedom for experimentation to those employees who have a greater interest in it.

Loo compares introducing AI to bringing a new colleague onto the team. "Even if the CV is good and the interview goes perfectly, it takes time to get to know each other. AI can also make mistakes, so trust in its work is built through experience and verification," said Loo.