The discussion around artificial intelligence often narrows to efficiency and cost savings, even though its real potential is much greater: when used well, it can drive genuine growth in companies. But technological expertise alone is not enough if executive leadership does not dare to pursue growth.
In recent months, there has been a lot of debate about why Finnish companies are not growing. Too often, the blame is placed on the leadership.
“Blaming people is unfortunate. It doesn’t help. What matters more is giving leaders the tools to achieve growth,” says Karoliina Partanen, Director of AI Finland. AI Finland’s mission is to position Finland as a global leader in AI development and adoption.
“Leaders need to build a shared understanding of what AI could enable in their unique business context,” Partanen summarises.
Capabilities + customer insight + AI = growth
Every company already has a set of capabilities, such as skills and technologies. On top of this, they need a deep understanding of real customer needs and the boost that AI can provide; how AI can help meet those needs in a new way. When these three elements – capabilities, customer insight, and AI – are combined, they create the foundation for growth.
“A company does not need to change its entire strategy, vision, or purpose. The idea is to understand how AI can help meet customer needs better than before,” Partanen says.
A leader needs to understand what different technologies can enable.
But how much do leaders need technical knowledge to understand the value that AI can create for customers?
“A leader doesn’t need deep expertise in every technology. They need to understand what different technologies can enable. For example, they can study how AI has transformed similar companies globally and draw inspiration for their own operations,” Partanen explains.
“AI-driven growth doesn’t happen on its own. Only when leadership sees AI as a tool for growth, not just efficiency, can our companies truly stand out on the global stage,” she adds.
Finland’s AI obstacles and solutions
The most significant factors slowing down AI adoption in Finland are the lack of Finnish-language models and strict EU regulations. According to Partanen, these challenges are not insurmountable. On the contrary, they can even become a competitive advantage.
“It’s positive that these are not uniquely Finnish problems, but Europe-wide challenges. They are already being solved together, and through Nordic cooperation, we can be at the forefront of AI development. A recent step forward is the new Nordic AI centre.”
One concrete solution is to build a joint Nordic language model.
“We share similar values and ways of working. And while the Nordic and Baltic region is the world’s tenth-largest economic area, we are still small enough to stay agile,” Partanen notes.
When it comes to regulation, practical tools and clarity are needed.
“Regulation differentiates us from the United States and Asia in a good way: we have an environment where anything cannot be done in any way. But we need easy-to-use tools and a shared knowledge base where organisations can check how rules have been applied in different cases.”
Finland’s AI ecosystem is the engine of new growth
AI development does not happen in isolation. Success is built on networks and trust.
“It’s important that organisations, authorities, and technology companies find common ground and build trust by sharing information. Only then can an ecosystem emerge that benefits everyone,” Partanen emphasises.
In practice, collaboration means matching demand and supply.
“The public sector and tech companies should find each other more easily. If, for example, a public agency finds a start-up that has built exactly the solution they need, everyone wins. The same model works for large companies and growth companies: when expertise, data, and technology meet, productivity and competitive advantage follow – not just for individual organisations, but for the entire Finnish AI ecosystem.”
One of the biggest bottlenecks in AI development is that data remains stuck in siloed systems. Every integration takes work, making AI adoption slow and expensive. General AI, intelligent AI agents, and the Model Context Protocol standard may, in the future, remove these barriers and enable seamless data flow between systems, opening the door to entirely new services and business models.
The vision for the future is ambitious: Finland could become globally recognised as a leader in AI expertise. We already have world-class research and digital skills – the missing piece is commercialisation and productisation.
In many cases, the commercial skills are still weak.
“We have dozens of promising AI start-ups and growth companies, but in many cases, the commercial skills are still weak. Sweden has produced many fast-growing companies that are not necessarily more technically advanced than ours. They have simply invested in building customer understanding and have scaled globally with confidence. This kind of commercial and productisation capability is exactly what we need in Finland, too.”
What leaps forward can we expect next in AI development? AI will be woven into more and more technology in 2026. Take a look into the future and read more about the Technology Trends 2026!
