OpenAI: EU small-business agent use up 8x since May, agents now over half of enterprise output tokens

#What happened

OpenAI's Economic Research Team says weekly active AI agent use among EU small and midsize businesses rose more than eightfold since May, with agents accounting for over half of enterprise output tokens.

• Weekly active AI agent use among EU small and midsize businesses rose more than 8x between early May and October 5, 2026, after ChatGPT Work launched in July.
• AI agents used through Codex and ChatGPT Work generated more than 50% of output tokens for EU firms by end of September, based on ChatGPT Enterprise and Business accounts.
• Lithuania led with 85% of output tokens from agentic AI in September, followed by Cyprus at 81% and Hungary at 79%; Slovenia was lowest at 22%.
• Belgium's SMB agent use grew 12.1x, Italy 10.8x, Luxembourg 10x; every EU country grew more than 5x.
• EU companies make up only about 10% of global frontier firms (top 10% by AI output tokens per active user); North America accounts for around 65%.
• OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said Europe is "in a new era of AI, with tools that can carry out tasks for people" and that giving workers tools, skills and confidence "will help build stronger businesses and growing economies, with benefits felt across Europe."

#Why it matters

• Europe's agent boom is broad (every EU country grew 5x+), yet intensity still lags: leading non-EU firms generate more than twice the output of EU counterparts, and leading EU firms outproduce typical EU firms 4-to-1.
• OpenAI says SMBs account for 63% of EU private-sector employment and over 5 trillion euros of the economy annually, so adoption among them is the lever for real productivity gains.
• The report urges European firms to move beyond experimentation and use tools that carry out tasks from planning to completion.

Sources:

• https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/openai-flags-ai-adoption-gap-in-europe-despite-8-fold-surge-in-agent-use-among-small-businesses/article71586516.ece/amp/
• https://www.kucoin.com/news/flash/openai-report-reveals-significant-ai-agent-usage-gap-among-eu-businesses

Verified October 15, 2026