World Bank links Poland’s growth outlook to AI adoption
Economic gains will depend on investment, workforce skills and labour mobility, with AI expected to reshape rather than replace existing jobs.
A World Bank Group report says faster AI adoption could significantly raise Poland’s economic output by 2035, but only if firms, workers and institutions can absorb the technology effectively.
The report estimates that Poland’s real GDP could be between 1.3% and 12.1% higher by 2035 than in a scenario where AI adoption remains at current levels. It also suggests that gains of 2% to 3% could appear within the next three years.
The estimates are based on a scenario in which AI adoption expands from 8.4% of Polish firms today to close to 45% by 2035. The report says adoption remains far below Denmark, where 42% of firms use AI.
Poland has several strengths, including 607,000 IT specialists, the largest pool in Central and Eastern Europe, and a high level of government AI readiness. However, only 50.4% of individuals have digital skills, compared with 60.4% across the EU.
The report says 48% of Polish workers are in highly AI-exposed occupations, below the EU average of 53%. It stresses that AI exposure does not automatically imply job losses, but can lead to either displacement or augmentation depending on skills, firm adoption and institutional support.
According to the World Bank, the main challenge is not only access to AI technology but also integrating it into business processes and enabling workers to move into higher-productivity roles.
The report calls for stronger labour-market monitoring, reskilling, support for firm-level AI adoption and policies that help Poland convert AI exposure into productivity gains.
Why does it matter?
The report frames AI adoption as a strategic economic issue, not only a technology upgrade. Poland already has strong digital foundations, including a large IT workforce, but low firm-level AI use could limit productivity gains if adoption does not accelerate. The findings also show that skills, labour mobility and institutional support will determine whether AI exposure leads to better jobs and higher productivity or deeper labour-market frictions.
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