Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming central to the production and organisational processes of Italian companies. But while technology is accelerating, companies' ability to fully absorb its potential is progressing at a slower pace. Once again, it is human capital that represents the real turning point. This is what emerges from the’Confindustria survey on employment in 2025, which captures a production system undergoing transformation, called upon to confront a profound rethinking of skills, organisational models and HR strategies.

AI adoption is growing: one in two businesses is undergoing transformation

Almost half of companies are currently involved in a digital innovation process that involves the integration of AI solutions into production processes.. The Confindustria survey on work in 2025 introduces, for the first time, an in-depth analysis of the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in member companies and finds that 11.51% of companies already use solutions based on advanced algorithms or are testing their effectiveness, while a further 37.61% are considering how to introduce them. The most common areas of application are data analysis, marketing, research and development, process automation and customer support.. Adoption is more advanced in medium and large services and businesses.

The real limitation of AI? Internal skills

The main critical issues for the adoption of AI concern human capital. The CSC note highlights that 37.61% of companies cite a lack of internal skills as the primary obstacle to the full integration of AI.. Added to this is the technical complexity of integrating advanced solutions into existing systems and the still high costs of the technologies. It is therefore not surprising that Less than half of companies that are adopting AI or plan to adopt it (43.7%) have already taken action in the area of HR., mainly through internal training courses (72.8%), specialist consultancy (39.9%) or the recruitment of dedicated technical staff (10.3%).

A skill gap that becomes structural

This picture fits into a broader context of structural mismatch.: among companies currently recruiting staff at the time of the survey, almost 70% reported difficulties in finding suitable candidates. The problems arise mainly in relation to technical skills (indicated by 57.1% of companies experiencing difficulties) and manual tasks (46.3%), with higher incidences in industry than in services.

Most companies experiencing recruitment difficulties have implemented countermeasures (84.1%), focusing primarily on internal staff training (56.0%). Collaboration with external parties (52.9%) and the expansion of recruitment pools (40.2%) are also widespread. Finally, almost a third of companies have launched o strengthened forms of collaboration with the local education system (ITS Academy, PCTO, curricular internships, etc.).

The change also affects organisational models: agile working, now stabilised at 32.31% of member companies, is establishing itself as a structural practice in the most organised organisations, while corporate welfare – present in 55.31% of member companies – continues to grow, increasingly focused on people's well-being and quality of life. Company bargaining, which involves almost 70% of workers in the sample, remains a key tool for managing flexibility and organisational change, and is therefore also instrumental in fully exploiting the opportunities offered by technological innovation.

Towards responsible, growth-oriented adoption of AI

In this scenario, training remains the crucial issue. “Italian companies have entered the heart of the digital transformation and artificial intelligence will soon become a decisive competitive factor, also from a training point of view,” he says. Riccardo Di Stefano, Confindustria delegate for Education and Open Innovation. “To manage this transition rather than suffer it, we need a quantum leap in skills, with significant investment in integrated pathways between the world of production and the education system. Only in this way can we ensure the responsible adoption of AI, capable of generating growth for the country and for the entire production system.”.

The future of AI is the future of people

AI, Therefore, it is not just a question of technology: it is, first and foremost, a question of people. And the decisive challenge for businesses will be their ability to train, attract and retain them, building an ecosystem of skills capable of supporting innovation.

Download the Confindustria survey on employment here.