A recent study by TIVIA (The Finnish Association of ICT Professionals) and Digia (software and service company) has uncovered a significant disparity between AI adoption and professional education among Finnish technology experts.
The findings in the study titled “The Artificial Intelligence Competence Gap in Finland 2026”, based on a survey of 1,042 IT professionals, indicate that while half of the workforce utilizes generative AI tools on at least a weekly basis, only one-third of these individuals have received formal instruction or established guidelines from their employers. This reliance on self-taught methods has raised concerns regarding “shadow AI,” particularly in the public sector where the lack of structured training could lead to issues with data privacy, algorithmic bias, and accuracy in critical citizen-facing deployments.
The report further details that the lack of institutional support is most pronounced in municipal and governmental organizations, which lag behind large private-sector firms in implementing formal AI training programs.
As self-taught practices become the norm, the study suggests a growing risk for public sector projects where automated systems are increasingly utilized for decision-making. To address these vulnerabilities, the leaders of the organizations that conducted the study advocate for a more structured approach to AI literacy across all sectors to ensure that the deployment of these technologies remains compliant with safety and ethical standards.
