Artificial intelligence has ceased to be an experimental technology and has become a priority for family-owned businesses in the Community of Madrid. According to a survey conducted by ADEFAM (Association of Family-Owned Businesses of Madrid) among executives and leaders of family-run companies in Madrid, 84.8% believe that AI will be key to maintaining or improving their organization’s competitiveness over the next three to five years.
Among the survey’s main findings is, furthermore, that AI adoption in Madrid’s family-owned businesses is already underway, since 48.4% of companies report using AI in specific areas of their activity, while 18.1% have conducted pilot tests and 9% say they have it integrated into key processes. In total, about 75.7% of the organizations surveyed have taken real steps toward implementation. These figures reflect how family businesses are incorporating AI as a tool to strengthen their competitiveness and resilience, in line with their long-term vision and their commitment to continuity across generations.
More productive, without losing jobs
90.9% of these companies identify internal management and productivity improvement as the area where AI can add the most value to their organizations. They are followed by operations (54.5%), sales and customer relations (48.5%), and marketing and communications (42.4%).
However, the path to AI adoption still presents challenges for these companies. The main barrier cited is lack of knowledge (45.5%), followed by concerns related to data security (30.3%). In fact, compromising information security is the worry most affecting Madrid’s family-owned organizations when launching AI projects.
The survey also dispels some of the most common fears about employment. The majority of the surveyed companies believes that AI will primarily help improve team productivity (57.6%) or reduce repetitive tasks (21.2%). Only a minority, below 10%, believes it will lead to job losses.
The results of this survey thus show that companies are no longer asking whether they should adopt AI, but how to do it effectively, securely, and in alignment with their business objectives. In this context, access to real-world case studies, strategic guidance, and change management emerge as the most in-demand needs to accelerate the transformation.
