- Press release
AI race among smaller Swedish businesses accelerates
The proportion of Swedish SMEs prioritising investments in AI has risen from 7 to 81 percent between 2022 and 2025. This is according to figures produced by Nordlo in collaboration with the analyst firm Radar.
“Many companies want to act quickly to avoid falling behind. However, many AI projects fail to generate returns, often because the data being used is of poor quality or, in some cases, simply incorrect,” says Håkan Benjaminsson, Digital Business Developer at Nordlo.
Håkan Benjaminsson, Digital Business Developer at Nordlo.
In just four years, AI has gone from being a non-priority to the highest IT-priority among SMEs in Sweden. This rapid development is placing entirely new demands on management teams and employees alike.
“IT is often a critical business function for small and medium-sized companies, where limited budgets or internal expertise require strict prioritisation. AI has created entirely new opportunities, particularly within repetitive tasks.”
At the same time, figures from Radar and Nordlo show that many organisations lack the prerequisites needed to successfully implement AI tools. 53 percent of companies state that poor data quality and accessibility are obstacles, while 52 percent cite a lack of internal expertise.
“There is a risk that organisations move faster than they can manage. Without control over data, skills and governance, it becomes difficult to create real business value, and in some cases investments may even have the opposite effect.”
Issues relating to governance, risk and compliance are also highlighted by almost half of the companies surveyed.
“As employees increasingly use AI services, it becomes ever more important for companies to maintain control over sensitive data. This includes what type of information is shared with third-party providers, what data AI agents are trained on, and what information users receive in return.
“If employees base decisions on inaccurate data, it can have consequences for the entire organisation,” says Håkan Benjaminsson.
Companies that succeed in combining a rapid pace of innovation with a stable technical and organisational foundation have strong opportunities to strengthen their competitiveness, while others risk increased costs and inefficient processes.
Håkan believes companies need to take greater interest in doing the groundwork to ensure AI operates using the right data. Only then can organisations achieve significant impact with limited resources and contribute to the company’s overall goals and processes.
“For the business community, this development represents a clear strategic choice. Small and medium-sized businesses in particular, which do not have the development budgets of large corporations, cannot afford costly implementations that risk missing the mark.”
Priorities for IT investments
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| AI or Machine Learning | 7% | 38% | 62% | 81% |
Share of small and medium-sized businesses in Sweden stating that they prioritise AI or Machine Learning in their IT investments.
What obstacles do companies experience when implementing or preparing to implement AI?
| Data quality/accessibility | 53% |
| Lack of internal expertise | 52% |
| Governance, risk and compliance | 48% |
For more information:
Håkan Benjaminsson, Digital Business Developer, +46 72 371 11 10, hakan.benjaminsson@nordlo.com
Caroline Peterson-Ullstrand, CMO & CCO Nordlo, +46 72 562 87 55, caroline.peterson-ullstrand@nordlo.com
