The Enterprise AI Maturity Index by ServiceNow examines the AI maturity of companies in Europe and the Middle East.
A new report by ServiceNow and Oxford Economics shows that AI maturity in Europe and the Middle East has declined, despite companies investing more in it. Organizations are struggling to scale experimental applications to structural deployment.
Speed of Innovation Exceeds Implementation Capability
The Enterprise AI Maturity Index, based on research among 4,500 respondents worldwide, including 1,950 from Europe and the Middle East, measures five domains of AI maturity: leadership, workflows, talent, governance, and investments. The average score in Europe and the Middle East dropped from 44 to 34 out of 100. According to the report, the pace of technological change is higher than organizations’ ability to integrate AI responsibly.
Despite 47 percent of surveyed organizations in the region launching more than 100 AI applications in the past year, execution often remains stuck in the experimental phase. Only six percent of companies reach the so-called augmentation phase, where AI plays a full role in decision-making and operational processes.
Opportunities and Challenges around Agentic AI and Governance
A notable emerging technology is agentic AI: systems that can act autonomously. In Europe and the Middle East, 15 percent already use these applications, and 42 percent want to start within the year. However, only one in five organizations indicates being well-acquainted with the technology. Organizations already working with agentic AI report improvements in margins, efficiency, and customer experience.
The rise of AI also brings risk “s. Governance around data and AI is lagging behind. The proportion of organizations taking steps in data governance decreased slightly, as did the number successfully breaking down silo” s in data and business operations. Data security is mentioned as the biggest hurdle to deriving value from AI.
The report concludes that structured policies and clear strategies are essential to use AI at scale and with confidence. Without attention to governance, AI projects remain limited in impact.