Microsoft Poland Chief Warns of Economic Exclusion Without AI

Microsoft Poland CEO Iwona Szylar has bluntly labeled inaction on artificial intelligence an economic threat to the country. In an interview with WNP.pl, she says Polish companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, are adopting AI noticeably slower than competitors in other European Union countries, and that gap could translate into a real loss of competitiveness in the coming years.

Szylar stresses that not using artificial intelligence is not a neutral choice but a decision with real consequences. In her view, Polish companies that put off adoption today risk having to catch up in a few years with competitors who have already built AI-based skills and processes.

Not using AI is not a solution. It's a path to exclusion from the global economy - Iwona Szylar, CEO of Microsoft Poland

Scale of the gap

The numbers cited by the Microsoft Poland chief show the scale of the problem. The 8 percent of Polish companies using AI is less than half the EU average of 17 percent. The gap is even more pronounced among small businesses, which in Poland turn to artificial intelligence four times less often than their counterparts in Finland or Austria.

It is the SME sector that accounts for most employment and a significant share of GDP in Poland, so the lag among these companies matters systemically, not just individually. Szylar points out that the issue is less about access to tools and more about a lack of awareness of how to deploy them safely and responsibly in day-to-day operations.

The bill for Poland's economy

According to the World Bank report cited in the interview, wider and more systematic adoption of artificial intelligence could raise Poland's GDP by more than 10 percent by 2035. Notably, a significant part of that effect, 2 to 3 percentage points, is achievable within the next three years, the same horizon in which companies are planning today's investments.

Szylar links these estimates to the global labor market, citing World Economic Forum forecasts that AI will account for 170 million new jobs worldwide by 2030, while eliminating 92 million existing positions. The net balance remains positive, but it requires actively preparing workers for a change in the nature of their jobs.

Energy as a precondition

The interview also touches on a topic that increasingly comes up in discussions about AI: the energy needed to train and run models. Microsoft says that since 2020 it has contracted more than 40 gigawatts of renewable energy globally across 26 countries, including 136 megawatts in Poland.

This shows that the company treats energy infrastructure as an integral part of its AI growth strategy, not merely a branding exercise. For Poland, where the energy mix still relies heavily on coal, the pace of green energy expansion could become one of the factors deciding where global technology companies locate their next investments and data centers.

Regulation and business responsibility

Szylar also addresses the EU's AI Act, which enters further stages of enforcement later this year. In her assessment, regulation alone will not solve the problem of low adoption unless it is accompanied by concrete competencies inside companies. Every manager, she stresses, needs to understand how to use AI responsibly and safely, rather than treating the issue purely as a technical or legal box to check.

This stance fits into the broader tone of public debate in Poland, where officials and companies increasingly signal uncertainty about the scope of obligations stemming from EU regulations, amid a lack of clarity over which systems even qualify as high-risk AI.

For Polish entrepreneurs, the Microsoft Poland chief's remarks signal that a global technology provider is actively lobbying for faster adoption, also counting on higher demand for its own cloud and AI services. That said, the cited data on the investment gap with Finland, Austria, and the EU average is consistent with earlier reports from independent research institutions.

Sources: Grozi nam wykluczenie z globalnej gospodarki. Szefowa Microsoft Polska ostrzega (wnp.pl)