The State of Generative AI in the Nordics

Deloitte’s Global Q3 State of Generative AI in the Enterprise survey highlighted the barriers enterprises face when scaling their GenAI experiments and how they are overcoming these challenges. This Nordic cut, based on 170 responses, zooms in on the situation in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.

As global leaders in digital infrastructure and with high levels of societal trust, Nordic countries have strong foundations to quickly adopt and harness the benefits of AI. However, Nordic enterprises face distinct challenges in scaling their GenAI experiments – these need to be addressed to fully realize GenAI's potential.

Developing a holistic vision and strategy for GenAI with robust support from top management is crucial. By identifying and exploring use cases that seamlessly integrate GenAI into operational business processes, and by establishing strong governance structures, Nordic enterprises can significantly advance their GenAI transformation journeys.

Key findings from the Q3 report

 
Value drivers

• Increasing investments but lack of top management interest: Nordic enterprises are already seeing strong value from GenAI with 77% ramping up investments, yet there is strikingly lower interest from top management, compared to executives in other regions. This disconnect could be a barrier to value realization at scale.
• Diverse value realization: Nordic respondents aim for improved efficiency (45%), innovation (34%), and enhanced client relationships (32%). However, half of them report achieving unexpected benefits, highlighting the diverse potential of GenAI.
   

Striving to scale

• High preparedness but lack of scaling: While more than half of the Nordic enterprises express high confidence in their GenAI expertise and preparedness, only 35% have moved a significant portion (+30%) of their GenAI experiments into production, compared to 53% globally.
• Barriers to scaling: Key barriers include managing risks, lack of a governance model, and absence of a clear adoption strategy. 
   

Building trust & mitigating risks

• Trust versus vigilance: Trust in GenAI is notably higher in the Nordics, with 53% having high trust, compared to 35% globally. This provides a solid foundation for adoption but could also create a false sense of security.
• Fewer risk-mitigating actions: Despite the high trust, Nordic enterprises are taking fewer actions to mitigate GenAI-related risks. Only 25% report training practitioners in managing GenAI risk, versus 37% globally, and only 20% have formal groups advising on risks, compared to 30% globally.
   

Evolving the workforce

• Conflicting expectations to immediate headcount changes: 38% of Nordic enterprises expect increased headcount within the next year due to the impact of GenAI. However, 28% anticipate a decrease in headcount, reflecting a dual narrative of some expecting growth and other foreseeing efficiency gains to reduce workforce needs.
• Limited access to approved tools: Over half of the respondents report that less than 20% of their workforce have access to approved GenAI tools, which is much lower than the global average. Limited access to tools and applications could hinder the full realization of GenAI benefits in the Nordics.