Cegid publishes its new study called “The moment of truth of AI in the company”, carried out by OpinionWay among 2,006 professionals in Europe (France, Spain, Portugal and Germany). The research analyzes the advance of artificial intelligence in the Spanish work environment and warns of a phenomenon that is beginning to consolidate in companies: the so-called “shadow AI” or use of artificial intelligence tools by employees without knowledge of their organizations.
According to it, Spain is at the forefront in the adoption of artificial intelligence in the work environment. According to the latest data from the study, 82% of Spanish employees already use AI tools in their daily tasks, which represents an increase of 9 points compared to 2025.
Challenges in data protection
However, the true differentiating factor lies in the frequency of use: 40% of the country’s professionals use this technology regularly, the highest figure among the markets analyzed and after experiencing a record growth of 16 points in just one year. Added to this group is another 42% who use it occasionally.
However, this intensity of use also poses challenges for organizations. Among Spanish employees who have already used AI, 82% acknowledge having used tools not provided by their company without reporting it: 23% do so regularly, 40% often and 19% sometimes.
This scenario highlights the speed with which employees are incorporating AI into their professional routines, sometimes on their own initiative and outside the tools and policies defined by their organizations. A reality that poses new challenges for companies in areas such as data protection, information confidentiality, security and governance of the use of these technologies.
AI is incorporated into work before corporate policies
The high adoption of AI tools contrasts with the pace at which companies are structuring their deployment. In fact, only 45% of organizations already have some type of role or team dedicated to the implementation and management of artificial intelligence, while 22% are studying creating this type of functions and 28% do not plan to do so.
The gap is also observed in training: less than half of employees (44%) say that their company has given them specific training on artificial intelligence tools, compared to 56% who have not received this type of training. This lack of structuring is also reflected in real integration. According to respondents in Spain, only 9% of organizations have achieved complete integration of AI into their daily practices, while 37% maintain partial integration and the rest are still in the testing phase without lasting integration.
The result is a scenario in which AI advances from the bottom up: professionals discover and adopt new tools to solve everyday tasks, while companies are still defining how to integrate these technologies in a secure, structured and aligned way with their business objectives.
When asked about the perception that AI generates among professionals, 81% of Spaniards express a positive attitude towards AI, with curiosity, confidence and enthusiasm being the most mentioned. This figure represents the highest percentage among the European countries analyzed, which reflects a favorable reception of this technology in the business environment.
Using AI in the shadows
In this sense, Javier Torres, General Manager of Cegid in Iberia, Latin America and Africa, considers that “the speed with which employees are incorporating artificial intelligence in their daily work shows that we are no longer facing a technology of the future, but rather a present reality in organizations. AI in the shadows shows that professionals are already transforming the way they work. Now, the challenge for companies is to lead this change and integrate AI into the processes where it really adds value, improving productivity and expanding the capacity of the teams. safely.”
The result is a scenario in which AI advances from the bottom up
In this context, the transition from AI used individually to integrated, secure AI governed by the company is presented as one of the great challenges of digital transformation. In addition to guaranteeing the protection of information and data privacy, “the challenge is to connect AI with critical business processes and with reliable and contextualized information, to turn it into a tool capable of providing tangible value to the organization,” concludes Javier Torres.
