Italy is Among the Most Mature Markets for AI, but Lacks a Long-Term Vision. ServiceNow Study

Italy is accelerating in artificial intelligence, but the increase in investments has not yet translated into extensive business process automation. According to data released by ServiceNow for the Italian market, AI spending grew by 104% in the past year, and 63% of organizations are using agent-based AI solutions, which are systems capable of planning and executing tasks with a certain degree of autonomy.

However, among the companies that have adopted these technologies, only 10% report having made progress in achieving autonomous processes. This is the main gap highlighted by the Enterprise AI Maturity Index 2026, research conducted by ServiceNow in collaboration with ThoughtLab involving 6,500 executives and employees across 19 countries.

The Italian index scores 54 out of 100, placing the country, along with Spain, at the top of the considered European markets. In 2025, the score was 33. The annual comparison indicates acceleration, but it must be read considering the evolution of the methodology: in the 2026 edition, the evaluation model expanded from five to seven areas, incorporating new dimensions dedicated to data modernization and organizational culture.

It is worth noting that this is the only study we have analyzed that ranks Italy among the leaders in this field, and the data likely comes from the chosen sample.

Legacy Data and Systems Hold Back Agents

By 2027, Italian companies expect to allocate an average of 21.4% of their IT budget to AI solutions. However, the increase in resources risks producing limited results if applications are added to an already fragmented infrastructure. Only 16% of surveyed organizations claim to have replaced legacy systems with an integrated platform. 73% report issues related to data accuracy, accessibility, or management, while only 14% have simplified and connected workflows across various business functions through AI.

In this scenario, agents often remain confined to individual applications or use cases. They can assist people in performing specific tasks but lack the data, integrations, and permissions necessary to complete a process from start to finish. Therefore, the number of tools adopted does not necessarily coincide with the level of automation achieved.

Skills and Governance Lag Behind

The preparedness of personnel represents a second limitation. 65% of Italian organizations have not yet defined a long-term plan to support employees in using AI. Only 21% have conducted an assessment of the skills available internally.

The problem does not solely concern technical training. Introducing autonomous agents requires establishing which decisions can be delegated, when human intervention is necessary, and who is responsible for actions taken by the system. On this front, only one in four companies claims to have introduced activities for testing, auditing, and risk assessment. Without these controls, it becomes more challenging to verify agent behavior, reconstruct decisions, and ensure compliance with company policies and applicable laws.

Value Comes from Orchestration

In the global sample of the research, ServiceNow identifies about 21% of organizations as "Pacesetters." These companies have a maturity score above 60 and stand out primarily for their ability to connect data, workflows, governance, and people, rather than their budget or the number of tools adopted.

According to the study, Pacesetters report an average ROI on AI investments of 160%, which they expect could reach 194% within two years. Their productivity would also be 5.6 times higher than that of other analyzed organizations. These results and projections are reported by the sample, not independent benchmarks, but the comparison highlights the importance of organizational integration.

The central point of the research is not to adopt more applications, but to build a coherent operational level where agents can access reliable data, operate across multiple functions, and remain subject to verifiable rules and controls. "AI today seems to be everywhere, and Italy is at the forefront, but the challenge is to align commitment with the development and management of an operational infrastructure that allows it to take off. Greater use of artificial intelligence does not mean real automation of work, and this is the gap that needs to be bridged. We have seen that companies that have done this benefit from a significant improvement in results," says Filippo Giannelli, VP Italy & Israel and Country Leader Italy at ServiceNow.

For Italian companies, the next step is to transform pilot projects and isolated assistants into integrated workflows. Before expanding the number of agents, it will be necessary to address the quality of data, integrations with existing systems, skills, and supervision mechanisms.