The Regional Government of Madeira aims for at least 25% of the region's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) by 2030.
This target, announced by the Regional Secretary for the Economy, José Manuel Rodrigues, during the presentation of the Regional Agenda for Artificial Intelligence for Businesses (ARIA-Empresas), anticipates a productivity increase of between 15% and 20% with the technology's implementation. The initiative seeks to accelerate AI adoption in a business landscape where micro-enterprises constitute 86% of the total.
Rodrigues emphasized that AI adoption is crucial for the competitiveness and cohesion of Madeira's business fabric. He noted that while large companies have resources for specialists, small businesses struggle with experimentation and implementing new technological solutions. Currently, 9.4% of Portuguese small businesses use AI, compared to the European average of 17%, a gap the government intends to bridge.
The ARIA-Empresas strategy focuses on applying AI to solve specific business problems, aiming for improvements in production, response times, waste reduction, customer understanding, and informed decision-making. The process involves problem identification, assessing company capacity, testing solutions, and analyzing results before continuous investment.
