European organizations increase profits and reduce costs through AI implementation

• Four out of ten organizations see a productivity increase thanks to AI—management more so than non-management employees.
• Six out of ten respondents (61%) believe that the EU AI Act will have a positive impact on their own organization.
• Only one in two (52%) believes that their employer has a clear ethical framework for the deployment of AI technologies.

It is essential for companies to embrace technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). AI has measurable effects on the financial performance of European businesses and organizations. According to recent EY research, the European AI Barometer 2025, the implementation of AI generates an average of €6.24 million in additional profits or savings. EY surveyed 4,929 respondents from 23 sectors across nine European countries for this study.

Currently, 56 percent of respondents report that their organization experiences positive cost effects from the use of AI—a significant increase of eleven percent compared to the previous year (45 percent). Only 15 percent state that their organization does not feel a positive impact from AI, while approximately 29 percent indicate that it is too early to say.

In the Netherlands, it is noteworthy that 60% of companies report saving more than €1 million through AI applications, and of this group, 37% indicate savings of more than €5 million. This underscores the substantial financial benefits of AI and the necessity for companies to adopt this technology to remain competitive.
Menno Bonninga, partner at EY in the Netherlands and AI Lead, states: “The fact that the majority of management sees positive cost effects from the use of AI is a strong signal. AI has led to cost savings or increased revenue within companies in the Netherlands. AI pays off.”

Although the average AI-adoption rate in Europe stands at 78% and adoption in the Netherlands is sharply rising, it still lags behind European leaders. “This means there is still much ground to cover. Those who do not engage with AI will fall behind, both employees and organizations as a whole. We are still at the beginning of this technological revolution, so it is not too late to consider how AI can help organizations stay ahead of the competition,” Bonninga adds.

Particularly in the areas of advanced manufacturing (78 percent), sports (74 percent), and agricultural operations (73 percent), AI is improving the economic performance of organizations. Conversely, the government & public sector (35 percent), professional services (41 percent), and healthcare (48 percent) appear to benefit the least from the technology. Looking at different countries, it is clear that Spanish organizations (70 percent) perceive the greatest advantages from the use of AI applications, while organizations from Belgium (60 percent) and Germany (59 percent) also score above average. Portugal (42 percent) and Austria (47 percent), on the other hand, are at the lower end of the spectrum. In 2024, the Netherlands ranked the lowest but has risen to seventh place in 2025.

Productivity Effects of AI

Employees and managers assess productivity increases from AI differently. The positive effects of AI on daily work are evident, according to users: 43 percent of respondents indicate that AI makes them more productive in their work. Men see this effect more clearly (48 percent) than women (39 percent), and management (56 percent) more than non-management employees (35 percent). There is a significant discrepancy: while the majority of managers perceive a productivity increase among their own employees due to AI (57 percent), this is significantly less pronounced in the opposite direction—less than a third of employees (32 percent) confirm increased productivity among their managers due to AI.

Overall, the topic of AI remains challenging, according to Bonninga: “In implementing AI, organizations need not only technical know-how and the corresponding manpower but must also be willing to accept the fundamental changes in company culture and processes that this entails. A large task. Notably, in the research, only 22% of employees in the Netherlands indicate that AI has improved management productivity, while 57% of management believes that AI has increased employee productivity. Managers see AI empowering teams, but employees do not perceive this in their leaders.”

Increased efficiency presents the greatest opportunity, while privacy issues pose the greatest challenge. Respondents clearly identify the risks—and opportunities—associated with AI: Increased efficiency (30 percent), resource optimization (26 percent), and improved customer service (24 percent) are seen as the main opportunities for the use of AI in organizations. Privacy concerns (30 percent), ethical issues (27 percent), and job loss (25 percent) are cited as the biggest challenges. When asked whether their organization has a clear ethical framework for the use of AI, nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) answered "Yes," while nearly a third (30 percent) answered "No," and 20 percent were unsure. There is a significant discrepancy between management and non-management: 61 percent of managers say there are clear ethical guidelines, while only 40 percent of non-management employees agree. 

Bonninga: “The research shows that Dutch employees are preparing for changes in their jobs due to AI. We see an increase in concern, from 51% in 2024 to 71% in 2025, with 39% in 2025 worried about the impact on their jobs. We also see a rise in the number of Dutch employees taking education about AI into their own hands: from 38% to 53%. Additionally, there is a slight increase in the training offered by their organization, from 16% in 2024 to 27% in 2025. I do not expect AI to replace people on a large scale, but those who do not invest now in improving their AI-skills risk falling behind compared to those who do.”