Why Romanian companies use AI to cut costs, and what they lose by it
A Raiffeisen Bank survey of 300 entrepreneurs shows that 23% of Romanian companies already use AI and 10% are running pilot projects. Most implementations aim to cut costs. AI used only for efficiency makes a company cheaper, not harder for a customer to replace.
How far have Romanian companies got with AI?
| Stage | Companies |
|---|---|
| Key processes digitalised and integrated | 32% |
| Already using AI solutions | 23% |
| Running AI pilot projects | 10% |
| Exploring AI opportunities | 33% |
The SME Digital Index 2025, published by Romania’s National Council of SMEs, completes the picture. The most widely used digital solutions are accounting and invoicing (93.72%) and online marketing (76.01%). Digitalisation still sits mostly in administration, not in the areas that create value for customers.
Why do most companies choose cost cutting?
Because that is how innovation is seen. Many SMEs treat it as a cost rather than an investment, and as something for large companies rather than for them. In a year when 40% of entrepreneurs put cost cutting first, AI enters the company through the same door.
The result: most Romanian companies implementing AI do it to spend less. Few do it to become more competitive, to innovate or to create more value for customers.
What does a company lose when it uses AI only to cut costs?
- An advantage that lasts. Competitors have access to the same tools. Efficiency becomes the market standard, not a differentiator.
- Market relevance. Customers do not notice that invoices go out faster. They notice only when their problem is solved better.
- People’s trust. When AI means cuts, people protect their position and keep their knowledge to themselves. Friction grows exactly where it was supposed to fall.
- The time saved. The hours saved disappear into new tasks instead of becoming time for customers, learning or new ideas.
What does AI used for competitiveness look like?
| AI for cost | AI for competitiveness | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting question | What can we do with fewer people? | Which customer problem can we solve better? |
| What gets measured | Hours and costs saved | Response time, value per customer, customers retained |
| What the customer feels | Almost nothing | A faster, better-fitting service |
| What people feel | A threat | A tool that makes them better |
In the Brand–Culture–Performance model, AI used for cost touches only execution. AI used for competitiveness raises market relevance, and it has to follow from positioning. Otherwise each department picks its own tools and strategic coherence drops.
From my experience
At Cluj Business Days I was glad to see the example given by Albert Davidoglu, CEO of Macromex, of how his company uses AI to create more value for customers, through dedicated AI agents that personalise the offer and the commercial relationship with each customer.
Frequently asked questions
How many companies in Romania use AI?
According to the Raiffeisen Bank survey of 300 entrepreneurs, 23% already use AI solutions, 10% are running pilot projects and 33% are exploring the opportunities.
Is it wrong to use AI to cut costs?
No. It is a good starting point. It only becomes a problem when it is the only goal.
How do you choose a first customer-facing AI project?
Start from a customer problem that keeps recurring and the decision that delays it, not from the tool you already have.
Sources
- Raiffeisen Bank, survey of 300 entrepreneurs with turnover between €1 million and €50 million, presented at Be Inspired, Make it Happen, Oradea, 8 October 2026.
- Florin Jianu, Dragoș Pufulete, Elena Dascălu, IMM Digital Index 2025: Carta Albă a IT-ului (SME Digital Index 2025: The IT White Paper), National Council of Small and Medium-Sized Private Enterprises in Romania, 2025. Presented at the Transylvania Digital Innovation Summit, Cluj-Napoca, 8 October 2026.