Irish business leaders remain wary of AI, despite rising adoption in Europe.
Irish business leaders are the most cautious in Europe with concerns about AI’s impact on organisations, jobs and autonomous decision making.
That’s according to the latest Expleo AI Pulse sentiment tracker.
“Recent news about rogue AI agents have shown the importance of human oversight, and so, to a certain extent, all business leaders should be cautious”
The data shows that June’s dip in AI confidence continued into July. Business leaders in Ireland are now the most pessimistic among their European peers across every sentiment measured in the AI Pulse.
Expleo’s monthly AI Pulse barometer is carried out by Opinium among 800 business leaders in Ireland, the UK, Germany and France.
Last month’s results found that 54% of business leaders in Ireland are worried about how AI is transforming their businesses, compared to an average of 41% elsewhere in Europe.
Additionally, 50% in Ireland are worried about the impact that AI will have on their job, versus 39% in other locations.
Why so gloom-AI?
Expleo’s research also shows that business leaders in Ireland are the least likely across the countries surveyed to be excited by AI (60% in Ireland Vs 67%); the least likely to trust their organisation to use AI ethically (62% in Ireland Vs 73%); and the least likely to see AI primarily as a benefit to their business (54% in Ireland Vs 63%).
“If business leaders are worrying about AI summarising a document, are they ready for agentic AI?”
Three in five (60%) business leaders in Ireland would trust AI to act autonomously to summarise emails, documents and meeting notes, compared to a 71% average elsewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, 27% in Ireland would trust AI to make hiring or HR-related decisions, versus 42% in Europe.
Phil Codd, managing director of Expleo in Ireland, said the research highlights a growing tension between AI adoption and confidence in the technology.
“Irish organisations may have one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world, but business leaders are wary of its impact,” Codd explained. “Recent news about rogue AI agents have shown the importance of human oversight, and so, to a certain extent, all business leaders should be cautious.
“But at what point does healthy vigilance become inertia?” Codd asked. “If business leaders are worrying about AI summarising a document, are they ready for agentic AI?
“Embedding strong governance, risk and compliance frameworks will be key in ensuring the successful, safe adoption of AI.
With new transparency rules now in effect from the EU AI Act, organisations will be subject to stricter regulations regarding the use of AI. Business leaders must use their organisation’s compliance with the Act, and accompany guardrails, to explore AI more before being permanently left behind.”
👉 No tech background needed to bring your business into the AI age! Secure your scholarship to complete the certification at no cost. Apply now and get started!
-
Bank of Ireland is welcoming new customers every day – funding investments, working capital and expansions across multiple sectors. To learn more, click here
-
For support in challenging times, click here
-
Listen to the ThinkBusiness Podcast for business insights and inspiration. All episodes are here. You can also listen to the Podcast on:
-
Spotify
-
SoundCloud
-
Apple
