Deep dive into the data below by consumption area or digital service, see how selected countries scored and learn more about consumers’ perceptions of Artificial Intelligence and the sustainability impact of various digital services.
Sustainability impact of the Digital Service
A list of all 40 digital services analyzed in the study, ranked from the most to the least empowering can be seen below. For each digital service, a score is provided in parentheses. Improvements are compared to the 2024 data, showcasing year-over-year advancements in user empowerment.
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Comparing countries progress over the years
Awareness of GenAI tools has grown in the past 12 months, from 87% to 92%, as well as the frequency of use. . 51% of the surveyed use GenAI applications at least occasionally (+20%, since last year) and 18% use them frequently or even every day (+8%). Still, 42% of the sample are aware of these applications but have never used them. As GenAI adoption grows, satisfaction with the accuracy of the results has slightly worsened since last year, from 60% to 56%, while 13% (+3%) of them believe that GenAI tools do not provide precise answers or solutions. Younger respondents, professionally active and with higher levels of disposable income, are the most satisfied.
Belgium: Regular and high-frequency usage levels are comparable to the cross-country average54% of those who use GenAI tools are satisfied with the accuracy of results.
Bulgaria: Awareness of GenAI applications has grown over the last year, from 79% to 90%. Likewise, the level of frequent or everyday users has risen from 7% to 19%, closing the gap with the cross-country average.
Italy: Usage of GenAI tools has increased by 20%, since last year. Almost half of Italian consumers use GenAI at least occasionally and 55% of them are satisfied with the accuracy of the results.
Poland: On average, Polish consumers conform to the cross-country average in terms of frequency of GenAI use but they rise above the average when it comes with satisfaction for the accuracy of the results.
Portugal: Compared to the other surveyed countries, Portuguese consumers have the lowest level of awareness of GenAI applications: 12% of respondents never heard about them. The number of responses on frequent GenAI usage is in line with the cross-country average.
Spain: One out of five of Spanish responders use GenAI frequently or every day. Spanish consumers using GenAI tools have the highest level of satisfaction with outputs among the 6 highlighted countries.
The level of confidence that EU consumers have in using AI applications is increasing. On average, 40% of the surveyed feel capable of using AI-based services (+7% than last year). Our data shows a persistent skill gap among consumers of each EU Member State and noticeable differences in skill levels between the countries studied. For example, one third of Italian consumers state that they do not have the necessary knowledge to use AI-based services, while in Portugal only 21% state the same.
The AI PULSE (Perception Usage Life-impact Sentiment Empowerment) indicator has been developed in 2025, to summarize consumers’ attitudes and experience regarding Artificial Intelligence. It combines 5 key dimensions: the perceived impact of AI on consumers' daily lives, in the past 12 months; the level of awareness and frequency of use of GenAI tools; consumers' skill level in dealing with AI-based services; the level of trust in private companies and public authorities; the overall sentiment towards AI.
Spain has the highest AI PULSE score, while Bulgaria and Belgium lie below the cross-country average.
The analysis shows that consumers who are more empowered by digital services have higher AI PULSE scores.
According to the experts, the digitalisation of services also has mostly a positive impact on sustainability by democratising access, reducing raw material use and transport emissions, and so on. At the same time, they express concerns around energy use and increased consumption.
Overall, experts are optimistic that with the mix of public awareness, innovative technologies and the right policies, digitalisation can help create a more sustainable future.
Very Positive
Positive
Moderately positive
* The impact was assessed on a 7 step scale from “Very negative impact” to “Very positive impact”
** The bars correspond to the % of respondents that used the service at least once in the past 2 years
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