Polish SMEs Ramp Up AI Spending, Bet on Sales Growth

Polish small and medium-sized businesses are returning to AI investment after several months of caution. The latest AI Barometer from Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy (EFL, a Polish leasing company) shows that 41 percent of SMEs plan to increase AI spending in the second half of 2026, and nearly half expect it to boost their sales.

What the survey found

The AI Barometer is a recurring survey prepared by research firm Ecorys on behalf of Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy. The third edition covered 455 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises across Poland, with responses collected between July 6 and August 7, 2026. The index rose to 64.8 points, 4 points higher than the previous spring reading, though it remains below both 2025 readings, which stood at 66.8 and 67.8 points respectively.

The index reading itself matters because it shows a direction of change, not just a momentary mood. Six months earlier, in the first half of 2026, the share of companies declaring plans to increase AI investment had fallen by half compared with the second half of 2025. The current reading therefore marks a rebound after a period of clear slowdown.

More money for AI

The key shift concerns investment plans. 41 percent of surveyed companies intend to increase AI spending in the coming months, compared with just 25 percent six months earlier. 53 percent of companies plan to keep spending at current levels, while only 1 percent expect to cut it.

Expectations for the results of these investments are rising in parallel. 48 percent of companies expect AI deployments to boost sales, up from 31 percent in the previous survey. 47 percent expect revenue to stay at current levels, and none of the surveyed companies anticipate a sales decline as a result of AI adoption.

Business owners want AI to boost productivity, shorten processes, and help generate revenue using their existing resources - Paweł Bojko, Deputy CEO of EFL

Growth without new jobs

Companies are not linking AI investment to team expansion, however. Only 13 percent of businesses plan to increase hiring for AI-related projects, and just 4 percent expect employment growth as a direct result of AI deployments. The vast majority, 84 percent of companies, forecast stable employment levels, while 5 percent expect cuts.

EFL's deputy CEO notes that after six months of caution, companies are once again raising their AI ambitions, but doing so on more mature terms. That means less experimenting with the technology for its own sake, and more deployments aimed at a concrete business outcome, measured in sales or time saved.

Microbusinesses close the gap

EFL's data shows the strongest improvement in sentiment came from microbusinesses, where the index rose by 7 points. This suggests AI tool adoption is no longer the domain of larger companies with sizable technology budgets alone, and is starting to reach the smallest businesses, which had previously been more hesitant on the topic.

For the Polish market, this is a signal that artificial intelligence is no longer treated as a pilot project but is becoming part of routine budget planning, even at companies with just a handful of employees. At the same time, caution around hiring shows that companies see AI more as a way to do more with existing resources than as a justification for building new teams.

The AI Barometer results fit a broader trend of investment rebound following the slowdown earlier in the year. The next reading of the index, planned for the turn of 2026 into 2027, will show whether the current rise in SME investment ambitions translates into real spending or remains at the stage of declarations.