According to the HR Innovation Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, 44% of Italian workers primarily use artificial intelligence as an operational tool, while HR departments struggle to integrate AI strategically into business processes.
According to research by the HR Innovation Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, artificial intelligence (AI) is now used by 44% of Italian workers, with an increase of 12 percentage points compared to the previous year. However, AI adoption mainly occurs as a standard operational tool or assistant for repetitive activities, rather than as a strategic lever for innovation in work processes.
On average, the use of AI allows a saving of about 30 minutes per day per worker, but only 9% of organizations manage this gained time in a structured way, risking to waste it on low value-added activities instead of investing it in training or new project development.
Spread and methods of use of AI
AI adoption is more pronounced in sectors such as ICT, Media, and Telecommunications, where it reaches 65%, while in Retail it stands at 31%. The most involved activities are content creation (64%), knowledge management (56%), and, to a lesser extent, analysis and problem solving (37%).
Despite the increased daily use of AI tools, time savings have remained stable compared to the previous year. Additionally, 34% of workers use AI tools not promoted by the company, and 51% supplement company solutions with external tools, raising security and privacy concerns.
Impact on skills, roles, and organization
49% of companies expect to have to reallocate or retrain at least 5% of the workforce in the short to medium term, but only 15% have the adequate skills to evolve roles and skills. The demand for IT specialists grows in 43% of companies, while creative and content production profiles are in decline.
Systemic effects on employment are not yet observed, with an increase in entry-level profiles in Italy, contrary to the trend in the United States. However, organizational transformation is still limited: only 20% of companies have changed their business thanks to AI, and just 25% have started redesigning processes with this technology.
Challenges for HR Departments and managers
HR Departments are called to a change of pace to govern AI adoption, fostering effective collaboration between humans and machines. One in five managers is unaware of the ethical implications of AI, and 22% do not know which activities to delegate to technology, highlighting a crisis in managerial leadership.
Worker wellbeing and engagement are declining, with only 15% fully engaged and 8% reporting complete wellbeing. The sense of purpose emerges as a key factor to attract and retain talent, especially among Generation Z.
HR Innovation Awards 2026
The Observatory awarded the most innovative companies in human resource management. Among the winners are Gruppo Intesa Sanpaolo for strategic use of AI, La Piadineria for Gen Z talent attraction, SEA for skills development, and Quiris for a data-driven approach in HR. SKY Italia received the HR Innovation IMPACT Award for the personalized welfare platform.
These results highlight the importance of an integrated and strategic approach to artificial intelligence to support the transformation of work and skills in Italy.
Pubblicato in Business
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