New research shows strong employee engagement with artificial intelligence, rising daily use and early business gains, alongside a clear call for training, clearer guidance and redesigned ways of working.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a familiar presence in Irish workplaces, yet most organisations have still to realise its full productivity potential, according to new research from Accenture published today (12 May 2026).
The report, Generating Impact: Turning frontier AI capabilities into frontline productivity and growth in Ireland, finds that employees are adopting AI at pace, often faster than the organisations they work for.
“Ireland has all the ingredients to lead in the age of AI”
More than three in five Irish employees, 64%, expect to reskill as AI reshapes how they do their jobs, underlining the scale of change already under way.
Employee sentiment towards AI is broadly positive. Seven in 10 say new technologies make their jobs better, and daily use of generative AI tools has risen sharply to 22%, up from 8% in 2024. Many workers are already seeing AI as a practical companion in everyday tasks rather than a distant or experimental technology.
Pressure points
The study also highlights pressure points. Almost half of employees, 47%, say they have been expected to use new technology without receiving training. A further 39% report feeling unprepared to work alongside AI tools or systems in their field. Among those not using generative AI regularly, more than a third say they lack the understanding needed to use the tools with confidence.
This experience has contributed to the rise of what the report describes as “shadow AI”. Only 34% of employees say they use AI tools provided by their employer. By contrast, 30% report sourcing tools independently, raising concerns for organisations around data protection, security and consistency of use.
Business leaders acknowledge the challenge. Encouragingly, 44% of Irish leaders say they are investing in reskilling and redeployment pathways, a higher level than in the UK. Even so, only 35% have carried out a formal AI skills audit, and one in four employers say their workforce lacks clear guidance on when and how to use AI tools or agents.
Adoption at the organisational level remains uneven. Just 29% of employees say a major process in their team has been redesigned around AI in the past year. That matters because the scope of AI’s economic impact has expanded quickly. Accenture estimates that 82% of working hours in Ireland are now in scope for AI enabled reinvention, almost double the share estimated in 2024.
Leaders must invest in their people
Hilary O’Meara, country managing director at Accenture in Ireland, said the opportunity is significant if organisations commit to deeper change.
“Ireland has all the ingredients to lead in the age of AI: a skilled workforce, a public and private sector proven to deliver, deep connections with the global technology industry, and genuine national ambition,” she said. “Leaders must invest in their people as much as they invest in technology, building the confidence and capability that turn AI from a powerful tool into a way of working. That makes sustained investment in learning and training essential.”
There are early signs of return on investment. Two in five Irish business leaders say AI has helped reduce costs, and the same proportion report improved employee productivity. Even so, many executives remain cautious about value capture. Seventy two% say at least some of their AI budget is wasted, and 35% say AI has delivered little or no positive impact on profit and loss so far.
Readiness for the next phase of AI development is also mixed. More than half of executives say their organisation is not ready to integrate AI agents with core enterprise systems. Data security tops the list of barriers to scaling AI, followed by regulatory concerns and shortages of skilled talent.
Denis Hannigan, AI and data lead at Accenture in Ireland, said the pace of employee adoption shows why organisations need to move beyond pilot projects.
“22% of Irish workers now use generative AI tools daily, nearly three times the level seen in 2024,” he said. “Employees appear to be moving faster than their organisations, creating a growing gap between day to day use and meaningful change in how work is done. To move from experimentation to impact, AI needs to be built into everyday operations.”
The findings are closely aligned with national policy priorities. Peter Burke, TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, said the report reinforces the focus of Ireland’s new National Digital and AI Strategy.
“The opportunity AI presents is transformative for our businesses and wider economy, from boosting productivity to enabling entirely new ways of working,” he said. “The real priority must now be on people, ensuring they have the skills, confidence and support needed to engage with the technology effectively.”
Accenture’s research concludes that organisations that align AI strategy, workflow redesign, workforce capability, digital infrastructure, and safety and security are more than four times as likely to scale AI successfully. For Irish businesses, the message is clear.
The tools are already in employees’ hands. The next step is to rework systems, skills and structures so that AI becomes part of how work gets done across the economy.
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