Enterprises across Europe and the Middle East are increasingly moving from AI pilots to scaled implementations. According to the Lenovo Europe & Middle East CIO Playbook 2026, this shift is driven by demonstrated benefits and the potential for measurable financial returns. The report notes that 46% of AI proof-of-concepts have progressed to production, with organisations forecasting an average return of $2.78 for every dollar invested.
The Playbook, based on insights from 800 IT leaders, highlights a regional inflection point and emphasises the importance of AI adoption for maintaining competitive advantage. Around 93% of respondents plan to increase AI investments over the next year, and 94% expect positive returns.
Adoption levels, however, are uneven. While 57% of organisations are in late-stage AI adoption, only 27% have comprehensive AI governance frameworks. Challenges such as data quality, gaps in expertise, integration complexity, and organisational alignment indicate a gap between ambition and readiness.
With Agentic AI emerging as a priority over Generative AI, many organisations plan to scale within the next 12 months. Currently, only 16% report significant usage, while 65% remain in pilot or exploratory stages.
There are also geographic differences. Advanced markets such as Scandinavia, Italy, and the UK are moving beyond pilots, with greater adoption of hybrid and edge deployments. In contrast, parts of Southern and Eastern Europe and some Middle Eastern markets are earlier in their AI journeys, although the Middle East shows notable growth momentum, particularly in advanced AI applications.
Hybrid AI deployment models are now common, balancing innovation, data sovereignty, and operational control. This suggests a shift from experimentation towards production-ready, autonomous AI use cases.
Matt Dobrodziej, President of Europe at Lenovo, noted that AI pilots are showing measurable returns across the region, but many organisations still lack the governance and infrastructure required to fully scale AI initiatives. He emphasised that building readiness, trust, and compliance with frameworks such as the EU AI Act is important for realising AI’s potential.
Hybrid AI adoption is influenced by considerations such as data privacy, security requirements, and infrastructure optimisation. Nearly 58% of organisations now identify hybrid deployment as their preferred strategy. Energy-efficient AI infrastructure and deployment of AI-capable devices are also key priorities, supporting the integration of AI into core operations.
Lenovo has introduced solutions aimed at supporting enterprise AI deployment, providing tools to manage risk, accelerate implementation, and enable systematic scaling.
Overall, the research indicates that AI is increasingly moving from a pilot phase to an essential enterprise capability, with potential impacts across multiple sectors.
