The CEE AI Index 2026 study was created on the initiative of AI Chamber, an institution working for the development of AI in the Central and Eastern European region.
The new CEE AI Index 2026 covers 11 countries. Countries in the northern and central parts of the region are structurally ready to play a leading role in the European AI ecosystem, which is reflected in the top ranking they create Estonia (1st), Slovenia (2nd), Lithuania (3rd), Poland (4th) and Czech Republic (5th) – we read in the analysis.
At the other extreme are Croatia, Latvia and Bulgaria, which are still catching up in building the institutional and ecosystem foundations for the development of artificial intelligence, the authors of the study indicate. And they add that “the key differentiating factor turns out to be the quality of management and institutional maturity, not the size of the country or access to infrastructure.”
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The race for AI. These are Poland's strengths
Poland ranks 4th in the CEE AI Index 2026 with an overall score of 56.17 points (Environment: 65, Resources: 49, Implementation: 55), ranking among the largest and most established AI markets in the region. The native ecosystem has the largest computing power in the region, records the highest volume of scientific publications in the field of artificial intelligence and brings together the largest staff of AI specialists – indicate the authors of the study.
— For years, Central and Eastern Europe has been building the foundations necessary for the development of artificial intelligence: appropriate regulatory frameworks, talent resources, and in some markets also advanced operational infrastructure. However, so far there has been no tool that would allow for an objective and comparable assessment of the scale of this potential. The CEE AI Index fills this gap and provides data that should constitute an important reference point for companies, investors and institutions planning AI strategies in Europe in the coming years – says Tomasz Snażyk, CEO of AI Chamber.
— The CEE region has some of the strongest AI talent in Europe, although it still faces a significant investment gap compared to Western Europe. However, the index leaders – Estonia, Lithuania and Slovenia – show that success is increasingly determined by the quality of institutions and development strategy, not the scale of the economy. The index provides additional arguments for a greater inflow of investments to the region, notes Mark Boris Andrijanič, former Minister of Digital Transformation of Slovenia and former chief negotiator of the EU Council for DMA and DSA.
