According to Solita’s new report “How AI is transforming Nordic work life“, based on data from over 3,000 knowledge workers surveyed by Kantar Media in Sweden, Finland and Denmark, the Nordic adoption landscape has shifted dramatically. Denmark has emerged as the leader with 65% adoption, surpassing Finland (62%) and Sweden (53%). Notably, daily usage in Denmark is 71% higher than in Sweden.
“It’s great to see adoption numbers picking up across the Nordics. To stay competitive and keep Europe in the global race, we must continue learning passionately and embrace also new ways of working. The use of data and AI offers tremendous opportunities to improve efficiency and create entirely new services. With our high levels of education, strong digital maturity, and deep-rooted ethical standards, the Nordics are exceptionally well positioned to lead the way in responsible AI adoption,” said Solita’s CEO, Ossi Lindroos.
However, the report warns of a looming ‘AI literacy paradox’. Despite widespread adoption, the Nordic knowledge workers are not preparing for the shift they themselves predict.
“We see a 70-point gap between the transformation employees expect and the preparation they are doing. Organisations that fail to bridge this gap risk building their AI strategy on a foundation of enthusiasm rather than competence. Systematic investments in employee training, new technologies and ways of working are needed,” commented Lasse Girs, Head of AI Transformation at Solita.
Key findings from the report
Quality vs speed: Denmark’s lead is driven by focus on work quality. 66% of Danish users adopt GenAI to improve quality, compared to roughly half in Sweden and Finland, where speed dominates as the primary driver.
The governance myth: Denmark combines the highest guideline compliance (71%) with the highest adoption rates (65%). Finland improved sharply, reducing organisations without guidelines from 21% to 7%, while Sweden’s 14% remains the highest gap in the region.
The overconfidence trap: While one-third of the Nordic knowledge workers believe GenAI has improved their own critical thinking, they are 2–4 times more likely to see improvement in themselves than in their colleagues, revealing a significant blind spot in self-assessment.
AI washing erodes trust: Around four in ten (36–43%) have observed individuals or companies exaggerating their AI expertise. Among daily users, who can more easily detect inflated claims, this rises to 58%, creating cynicism that undermines legitimate adoption efforts.
The income divide: GenAI is not yet a democratising force. In all three countries, high earners use GenAI significantly more than low earners. In Sweden, the usage gap is as wide as 36 percentage points.
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For more information
- Solita, Lasse Girs, Head of AI Transformation, [email protected], +358 40 591 8106
- Solita, Ossi Lindroos, CEO, [email protected], +358 40 750 7637
- Solita Finland, Mikael Ruohonen, Business Lead, Data Science and AI, [email protected], +359 41 451 6808
- Solita Sweden, Niklas Liedholm, Head of AI, [email protected], +46 705 396 464
- Solita Denmark, Snurre Jensen, Sales Director Data & AI, [email protected], +45 2265 8238