The adoptionof artificial intelligence in Italian companies is no longer a future hypothesis: it is an ongoing reality, albeit still in its infancy. Research conducted by the management of the H-FARM Business School Competence Centers analyzed the experience of nine large Italian companies, with a total of approximately 28,000 employees, revealing how AI is slowly transforming business processes and approaches.
The study highlights that, despite differing levels of maturity, all the companies involved have launched an AI program, demonstrating a concrete openness to change. However, the speed at which technological innovation is advancing still exceeds the ability of organizations to fully adapt. The adoption of AI is no longer limited to back-office automation: significant cases of application are emerging in marketing and customer service, areas where the benefits are more immediate and measurable. As the report State of AI in Business 2025 , the returns are also significant in the back office, often overlooked, especially in terms of reducing costs related to outsourcing and agencies.
A key finding from the research concerns people's approach to change: contrary to popular belief, employees have enthusiastically welcomed AI-related initiatives, while cultural resistance appears to be marginal. The main difficulties concern internal governance and technical skills. In this context, the European regulatory framework is perceived as complex and potentially slowing down progress, and excessive attention from leadership can become a double-edged sword if accompanied by expectations that are difficult to meet.
Organizational structures are still evolving: few companies have created C-level roles dedicated to AI, moving on from previous committees, but almost all plan to do so. This shows that, although AI is advancing, its full potential will depend on the ability to transform leadership enthusiasm and support into concrete strategic choices. Doing the bare minimum will not be enough: more transformative interventions are needed to generate sustainable value.
Research suggests an approach based on the "3 Ps": People, i.e., leadership commitment and investment in skills, because even in the age of AI, it will still be people who make the difference; Problem, i.e., starting with small, well-defined problems to measure value and difficulty; and Platform, where data quality and governance are not simply compliance obligations, but core activities that transform AI into a cross-functional business platform.
The Italian AI landscape can therefore be described as "half full": companies are showing enthusiasm and openness, but success will depend on their ability to cultivate this confidence through strategic and transformative choices. For more details on the results, best practices, and recommendations of the research, the complete white paper is available on the H-FARM Business School website.
The project was led by Susanna Sgarbossa, lead researcher and student at UC Berkeley, with contributions from Pierluigi Fasano, professor and coordinator of the centers of expertise, and Federico Donati, program manager of the centers of expertise at H-FARM Business School.