The DOBA AI Maturity Index (DAIMI) measures organisational AI maturity across five key dimensions. We measure organisational AI maturity – not just tool usage.
We measure organisational AI maturity –
not just tool usage.
AI strategy, vision, alignment, and management support.
Effects on productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness.
Integrating AI into processes, systems, and work methods.
Ethics, accountability, oversight – governance mechanisms.
Skills, learning culture, and organisational readiness.
(tool usage)
(processes and people)
(governance and oversight)
(value & impact)
DAIMI has been designed as a regional composite index that measures not only the use of AI tools, but above all the capability of organisations to integrate AI into their processes in a strategic, responsible, and business-oriented manner. Therefore, the main question is no longer simply whether companies use AI, but how well they are able to strategically direct, manage, and align it with their business objectives.
Companies in the region have entered a stage in which initial experimentation with generative AI tools is gradually shifting towards more complex issues related to management, competencies, governance, and business impacts. The index therefore helps to understand whether AI in companies is merely a tool for individuals or already part of a broader organisational transformation.
Because the mere use of tools is not indicative of whether a company has the strategy, accountability, competencies, and processes for long-term transformation in the field of AI.
Comparisons between countries, tracking developments over time, identifying development gaps, and supporting decision-making in companies and policy-making.
A higher score indicates greater organisational readiness for responsible and strategic AI governance, rather than a higher number of tools in use.
The four-stage scale enables the interpretation of the index results and a comparison of the developmental stages of companies and business environments.
AI usage is limited, unsystematic, and primarily experimental. Most companies have not yet developed strategies, competencies, or organisational models for AI usage.
Companies are actively testing AI tools and experiencing the first business benefits of AI; however, organisational integration, governance mechanisms, and long-term strategies are not yet fully developed.
AI is becoming an important part of business processes, management is developing formal AI strategies, and the organisation is establishing more systematic governance models and developing competencies, and operational AI integration.
AI is deeply integrated into the company’s business model both in terms of strategy and organisation. The organisation has developed governance mechanisms, a high level of employee competencies, and the capacity for long-term and responsible AI transformation.
The results for Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia indicate a transition period between the experimental and early integrated stages. This means that while companies are already using AI, it is not yet systematically embedded into core business processes, governance mechanisms, and long-term business models across most organisations.
The DAIMI index was developed as a composite measure of companies' organisational and managerial maturity in AI adoption. The focus is not on individual tools, but rather on the capacity of companies to integrate AI into their strategy, processes, employee competencies, governance mechanisms, and the measurement of business impacts.
The methodological framework is based on five sub-indices, which together capture the journey from strategic direction to actual usage and business impacts. In calculating the overall score, normalisation by company size was applied, as size significantly influences the capacity for AI adoption.
| Country | DAIMI score | Model interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 50.85 | Balanced model |
| Serbia | 49.73 | Developmentally dynamic model |
| Croatia | 47.89 | Pragmatic-experimental model |
The empirical basis for the report is a survey among companies conducted between March and May 2026 in Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia.
The role of management, strategy, and the alignment of AI with company development.
Accountability, ethics, transparency, data protection, and oversight.
Organisational readiness and the acquisition of AI-related knowledge.
Actual application of AI within processes and business functions.
Perceived effects of AI on productivity, innovation, and competitiveness.
The differences between the countries are relatively small, indicating a similar developmental stage in the transformation of AI use among companies in the region. Slovenia achieves the highest overall score due to a more balanced development of strategic integration, governance, and organisational readiness. Serbia stands out for its developmental momentum and perceived business impacts. Croatia displays a pragmatic and experimental approach to AI usage.
The results indicate that all three countries are in a transitional period between the experimental and early integrated stages of AI maturity. The differences between the countries are relatively small, pointing to a similar developmental baseline in the region.
| Country | Strategic AI | Governance AI | Workforce AI | Operational AI | Business Impact AI | DAIMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | 49.64 | 62.91 | 57.18 | 33.65 | 37.45 | 50.85 |
| Serbia | 48.40 | 58.72 | 56.75 | 32.77 | 42.63 | 49.73 |
| Croatia | 44.61 | 60.79 | 54.41 | 30.74 | 38.19 | 47.89 |
The overall results indicate that the region is not yet at the stage of full transformation regarding AI adoption in companies. The key difference between the countries is not whether companies use AI, but how rapidly AI adoption is being integrated with strategy, accountability, competency development, and impact measurement.
A balanced model of AI maturity. Slovenia’s advantage stems primarily from a more stable alignment between strategy, governance, and organisational readiness.
A highly developmentally dynamic model with the highest score in terms of perceived business impacts, but with slightly less balanced governance mechanisms.
A pragmatic and experimental model. Croatian companies are rapidly testing AI tools, while strategic integration remains somewhat underdeveloped.
The most important message of the report is that the transformation of AI adoption in the region is shifting from the stage of tool usage to the stage of organisational governance. Companies have already recognised the importance of AI; however, they must take the next developmental step in strategy, governance, systematic learning, and impact measurement.
Company management generally supports AI faster than organisations are able to develop formal strategies, accountability, and governance mechanisms.
The lowest scores are recorded in the integration of AI into core processes, decision-making, and business models.
The development of AI-related competencies often relies on individual employee initiatives rather than systematic training.
The most common applications include text generation, communication, administrative support, and increasing productivity.
Companies quickly recognise benefits to productivity, but often lack the methodologies required to measure long-term impacts.
In the future, a company’s competitive advantage will be less about access to technology and more about the capacity for strategic AI management.
The next stage in the development of AI adoption among companies in the region will require businesses to shift from the rapid usage of tools to strategic governance, competency development, formal accountability, and the measurement of business impacts.
This work is licensed under a
