“Who actually decides about AI?” – How we selected companies and respondents

The rapid progress of AI – from early deep learning to today’s generative models like ChatGPT, Google Gemini or Claude – has made advanced technologies accessible even to small and medium-sized companies. Because of this, interest in AI in business is growing fast, and the number of organizations using generative AI in the world increased from 55% to 74% in 2024.

Our team aimed to understand how AI is adopted in the Slovak market: which companies use it in their processes, which face barriers, and who makes the key decisions about adopting new technologies or avoiding potential risks. To explore this, we conducted a research survey and used purposive sampling, contacting companies that met specific criteria based on previous research and similar studies. This approach helped us avoid distortions that might arise from an overly diverse or unsuitable sample.

Which companies were included in the sample?

The companies included in our research had to meet the following criteria:

• Size – more than 10 employees: micro-companies were excluded due to their limited resources and informal digitalisation processes.
• Years in operation – at least 5 years: we focused on stable companies with established processes to capture long-term strategies rather than short-term experiments.
• Ownership – private companies: public organisations were excluded because their decision-making and funding structures differ from those of commercial enterprises. Both domestic and foreign-owned companies were included, allowing us to identify potential differences between them.
• Financial stability – positive equity: Companies in financial difficulty typically do not prioritise innovation and digital transformation.
• Business focus – companies that do not develop AI products: We focused on potential users of AI technologies rather than producers, as their adoption patterns are more representative of the broader business market.

High-impact sectors where AI is changing business

We also focused on sectors classified according to the NACE system, where AI adoption has the greatest economic impact according to Eurostat. The level of AI use varies significantly across sectors:

• Manufacturing (C): In 2024, 10.57% of companies in the EU and 8.08% in Slovakia used AI, mainly for production automation.
• Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles (G):11% in the EU and 11.65% in Slovakia, mostly for customer data analysis and logistics.
• Information and communication (J):72% in the EU and 29.19% in Slovakia (excluding AI developers), primarily using digital solutions.
• Service sector (excluding J category): AI adoption is growing, especially for customer support and process optimisation.

*Source: Eurostat 2024 (online data code: isoc_eb_ai)

Who actually decides about AI in companies?

We were interested in who makes the decisions about AI implementation within companies. To get accurate insights, the survey had to be completed by someone directly involved in implementing and using AI within the company, such as managers, directors, or other employees responsible for these processes. This was important because our questions focused on AI implementation processes, which require direct knowledge and involvement.

Respondents described a variety of decision-making approaches. In some companies, a single key manager or expert drives the process; in others, specific departments such as IT, innovation, or marketing take the lead. Many companies take a collaborative approach across multiple teams, while in some, the final decision rests with top management. Looking at these differences gave us a clear picture not only of who holds the decision-making power, but also of how strategic, collaborative, and sometimes experimental AI adoption is within Slovak businesses.

Stay with Us on the Journey

In this first step, we’ve opened the “black box” of who actually decides about AI in Slovak companies and how we selected the sectors, organisations, and people behind these decisions. Stay tuned – we’ll soon share not only AI adoption trends, barriers but also concrete results and practical lessons.

Resources:

• HAI Stanford (2025). Artificial Intelligence Index Report 2025. Available at: https://hai.stanford.edu/ai-index/2025-ai-index-report/economy
• Eurostat (2025). Use of artificial intelligence in enterprise. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statisticsexplained/index.php?title=Use_of_artificial_intelligence_in_enterprises#:~:text=In%202024%2C%20the%20information%20and,using%20AI%20was%20below%2016%25.