Sweden Falls Behind in AI: Low Skills and Training Hamper Progress

AI in Sweden is developing more slowly than globally, according to EY’s latest report.

Swedes use AI in everyday life but are markedly more hesitant about the technology than people in many other countries. This emerges from EY’s global survey, which collected responses from around 18,000 people across more than 20 countries. In Sweden, 37 percent say they feel comfortable with AI, compared with 49 percent globally. Fewer Swedes believe the technology will lead to better products and services, and six out of ten report having received no AI training at all. Sweden ranks among the lowest in the study, alongside countries such as Finland, the United Kingdom and Japan. At the same time, Sweden is one of the few countries that has a national AI strategy. In February, the government presented a strategy aiming for Sweden to be among the world’s top ten AI nations.

Sweden is categorized as a lagging market in AI adoption. This is shown in EY’s global study, the AI Sentiment Index 2026. The 23 markets covered in the survey are divided into three groups based on residents’ AI usage and attitudes: pioneer markets, transition markets and lagging markets. Sweden falls into the lagging category. That means Swedes are less likely to use AI, express lower trust in the technology and are less willing to let AI make decisions on their behalf compared with countries leading the development, such as India, China, the UAE and Brazil.

“In the 1990s Sweden gained a digital head start thanks to the PC reform. Suddenly everyone had a computer at home, learned how to use it and built digital skills. Something equivalent hasn’t happened with AI, and it shows. We may think we keep up because we have heard of ChatGPT, but real competence is built through daily use, curiosity and training. That’s where we lag,” says Charlotta Kvarnström, partner at EY and a tech adviser.

AI strategy and Sweden’s regulated approach to AI are a competitive advantage

Sweden is nevertheless one of the few countries with a national AI strategy. The government’s ambition is for Sweden to become one of the world’s top ten AI countries and a global leader in using AI within public administration.

“Sweden’s AI strategy, combined with a transparent and regulated approach to AI and a rapidly expanding fossil-free infrastructure, gives us a competitive advantage. This is true even though current usage and investment lag behind. Several important initiatives are also underway that strengthen Sweden’s position by attracting both talent and capital,” says Charlotta Kvarnström.

Swedes see less benefit from AI and express higher concern

The survey shows that expectations about the benefits AI can deliver in organizations are lower in Sweden. One third of Swedes (32 percent) believe AI will result in better products and services, compared with 42 percent globally. More than 12 percent say they expect no benefits at all from organizations using AI—almost double the global share.

At the same time, concern about AI remains high both in Sweden and internationally. In Sweden, 60 percent say they worry about security breaches in AI systems. Nearly as many are concerned about how organizations handle their personal data and about the risk that humans will lose control over decisions made with the help of AI.

Six out of ten Swedes lack AI training

A possible explanation for the skeptical attitude is the lack of education. Six out of ten Swedes (61 percent) report they have not received any AI training or instruction in the past six months, compared with half globally (50 percent).

The share of people who have received more extensive AI education is also low in Sweden compared with the global average. Fourteen percent say they have taken part in advanced AI training, compared with 23 percent globally. In the pioneer markets that lead AI development, as many as 36 percent have received substantial training.

Lower knowledge is reflected in how the technology is used. Almost half of Swedes (48 percent) report having used AI that creates content, compared with 53 percent globally. For agentic AI—systems that can act autonomously on a user’s behalf—12 percent of Swedes report using such tools, versus 16 percent globally. In pioneer markets the share is 24 percent.

“It’s easy to interpret Swedes’ caution toward AI as deliberate prudence in the face of a new technology. But six out of ten lacking basic AI education tells a different story. Perhaps the worry is not rooted in considered reflection but rather in a lack of knowledge,” says Charlotta Kvarnström.