AI in official statistics — heads of European statistical offices on challenges and future directions
Artificial intelligence is having an increasingly visible impact on the way data are prepared, statistical processes are carried out, and results are disseminated. It is therefore becoming an important topic for European official statistics — not only in relation to AI tools themselves, but also in terms of data quality and comparability, metadata preparedness, skills development, and the responsible and transparent use of new technologies.
Across the European Statistical System, the need for a common approach to these issues is becoming more and more apparent. This applies both to the practical implementation of AI-based solutions and to ensuring that statistical institutions are better prepared to operate in a changing data environment.
These issues were at the centre of a meeting of the heads of the European Statistical System's statistical offices on the use of AI in official statistics, held on 5 February 2026 in Luxembourg. Presidents and Directors-General of the ESS national statistical offices, together with Eurostat, discussed the readiness of official statistics to make use of artificial intelligence and the areas where joint action is needed at the European level.