Artificial intelligence use is expanding across Finland, with new surveys showing that many workers and entrepreneurs believe the technology improves productivity, although concerns about job losses and uneven adoption remain.

Data released by Statistics Finland showed that nearly half of Finnish consumers now use artificial intelligence for personal matters, while more than one in four use it in work-related tasks.

Among people already using AI at work, 80 per cent said the technology helped them complete tasks faster. Nearly one quarter said work became “much faster” with AI tools.

The findings came from questions included in Finland’s consumer confidence survey as part of a wider European Commission project involving 18 EU countries and four candidate states.

Statistics Finland expert Pertti Kangassalo said Finnish consumers appeared to use AI slightly more often than the EU average, both in private life and at work.

The survey showed that 72 per cent of AI users believed the technology improved the quality of their work, while 57 per cent said it made their tasks easier to manage.

Young adults reported the strongest support for AI in the workplace. Among respondents aged 18 to 29, almost 89 per cent said artificial intelligence accelerated their work.

The data also showed differences between occupational groups. Employees in manual or lower-level roles used AI less often than office workers and entrepreneurs, although workers who did use the technology reported strong benefits.

Men were slightly more likely than women to say AI improved speed, quality and control in their work.

Despite growing adoption, many Finns still remain outside the AI shift. Statistics Finland said 46 per cent of consumers reported no use of artificial intelligence at all.

Concerns about employment also surfaced in the survey. One in five AI users feared the technology could lead to unemployment, although only 2 per cent described the threat as severe.

Fear of job losses appeared strongest among respondents with lower levels of education. Statistics Finland said nearly one third of people with only basic education worried that AI could replace workers.

Separate findings published by Finnish invoicing and entrepreneurship platform UKKO.fi pointed to similar divisions among small business owners.

The company’s survey of almost 700 entrepreneurs found that 73 per cent viewed artificial intelligence as an opportunity, while 27 per cent considered it a threat.

One third of respondents said they did not use AI at all, and only one quarter reported regular use. Nearly half said artificial intelligence had not changed the way they worked.

UKKO.fi founder Ukko Kumpulainen said many entrepreneurs viewed AI positively but struggled to integrate it into daily routines.

“The barrier for many entrepreneurs is practical rather than ideological,” he said in the company statement.

HT