Using artificial intelligence in the workplace: Belgian companies in top 3 in Europe

Belgium as one of Europe's AI leaders

That Belgium is at the forefront of AI is no surprise. After all, our country relies on a strong knowledge economy and companies see AI as a means to strengthen their competitive position. This is also reflected in Eurostat figures, as AI use in Belgian companies increased by 80% in one year.

Interestingly, the larger the company, the faster the adoption of AI tools. Among small companies, we note an increase of 10%; among medium-sized companies, there is an increase of almost 13% and, among large companies, usage has increased by 18% compared to a year ago.

Broad commitment

Increasing, AI is being used to optimise business processes or, indeed, to automate them. The tools are widely used for various purposes: analysing data, understanding texts, producing texts, automating administrative tasks, even screening CVs during the recruitment process. Thanks to AI, a lot of processes will become more efficient, but the productivity and quality of both internal and external services will also increase.

Looking specifically at the types of AI used, we see that the following types are the most popular today:

• Text mining (15.1%), where large amounts of text are analysed with the aim of extracting the most valuable insights;
• Natural language generation (12.7%): the automatic generation of text based on the raw input or data;
• AI-based RPA (Robotic Process Automation) (10.3%): a technology which automates routine tasks using software bots.

Rise in different sectors

Artificial intelligence is gaining popularity in all sectors. However, the service sector is leading the way: 27.4% of companies already use at least one AI tool and, since 2023, usage has increased by 81%. In manufacturing companies, 23% use AI; up from 52%. The biggest growth is for construction companies: today, 11% there are using AI - a whopping increase of 110%. AI thus appears to be widely usable across all sectors.

Impact on jobs and staff

How do employers view this evolution and what impact do they expect? Acerta Consult's mirror survey shows that expectations vary. For example, a quarter of companies expect to need fewer staff thanks to AI. 1 in 10 employers expect to have to hire more staff. In turn, 3 in 10 think there will be no job loss, but that employees will be likely to need different competencies in the near future.

Thus, it becomes crucial that employees are AI literate and develop the right skills to handle new technologies. Moreover, the AI regulation in force since August 2024 requires companies to implement AI responsibly.

AI will bring both challenges and opportunities. Create space for it within your organisation, make sure you have a sustainable AI policy and communicate about it with your employees, so you can take your HR policy to the next level with the help of AI.