Few Irish businesses have embedded responsible AI principles across the enterprise as skills gaps persist and EU AI Act readiness remains limited.
Responsible AI practices in Ireland are still at an early stage of development.
A new study by PwC Ireland which examined how Irish companies are approaching responsible AI and benchmarked their progress against earlier research among US business leaders.
“Organisations struggle most with turning high-level responsible principles into repeatable, scalable operational practices”
Responsible AI refers to the design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence in a way that delivers value while managing risk and earning trust.
AI governance
The study finds that while responsible AI is now firmly on the agenda for Irish firms, it is rarely treated as a core business priority across the entire organisation. PwC defines responsible AI as the ability to deploy AI in a way that is innovative and useful while also being safe, secure, fair, transparent and accountable.
More than three-quarters of Irish respondents, 77%, said their organisations have started the journey towards responsible AI and AI governance. However, only 19% said responsible AI is a business priority right across their organisation, with leadership ownership and operating discipline still uneven.
PwC notes that organisations that succeed with AI tend to institutionalise responsible AI at the highest level. Its earlier AI Performance research found that global AI leaders are significantly more likely to have a responsible AI framework guiding how AI is designed, deployed and monitored.
The report highlights execution effectiveness as the most significant gap. Irish organisations rated themselves as weak across almost every operational dimension of responsible AI, from development standards to training and communication.
On average, just 23% of Irish respondents said their organisation was very effective at putting responsible AI into practice across key measures. This included only 16% who rated their AI development and deployment standards as highly effective, while 21% pointed to effective communication of responsible AI priorities. Employee training emerged as a particular weakness, with only 14% describing this as very effective.
Clear accountability also remains a challenge. Fewer than three in ten respondents said their organisation has clearly defined roles and responsibilities for AI governance, while 33% reported applying a risk-based approach consistently.
These gaps matter because governance underpins trust. Without repeatable standards, clear decision-making structures and trained employees, organisations struggle to scale AI safely and secure value from their investment.
David Lee, Chief Operating Officer, PwC Ireland, said: “Trust, driven by responsible AI practices, is critical for maximum return and value from AI. The study highlights that in Ireland the process of gaining responsible AI has not yet moved to enterprise-wide adoption with full scale governance and regulatory readiness.
“Organisations struggle most with turning high-level responsible principles into repeatable, scalable operational practices. Resourcing constraints, unclear ownership and insufficient tooling are slowing progress, even where leadership recognises the importance of responsible AI.
“Despite these challenges, attitudes towards responsible AI are shifting. The leading firms increasingly see responsible AI as a strategic business enabler, delivering tangible value through stronger trust, reduced regulatory risk, improved customer experience and better returns on AI investment.”
Scaling and resourcing are the biggest barriers
Irish firms are acutely aware of the obstacles holding them back. More than three-quarters of respondents cited the difficulty of scaling responsible AI principles into day-to-day operations as the single biggest barrier. Lack of clear ownership and insufficient tools were also widely cited.
Resourcing pressures run through the findings. Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 65%, said their organisation’s investment in responsible AI and AI governance is not sufficient to meet its ambitions.
EU AI Act readiness remains limited
Preparation for the EU AI Act remains an area of concern. Only 14% of respondents said their organisation is fully prepared to comply with the regulation, while 70% described themselves as partially prepared.
Key challenges include limited internal expertise, cited by 53% of respondents, budget and resource constraints at 37%, and uncertainty around EU AI Act requirements at 30%. PwC warns that as enforcement timelines approach, these gaps will become more pressing for organisations deploying AI at scale.
Autonomous agents add urgency
Looking ahead, the rise of autonomous AI agents is expected to reshape governance models. More than half of Irish respondents, 56%, expect these technologies to drive changes in their approach to AI governance over the next year, compared with 87% in the US.
Irish organisations are placing greater emphasis on foundational safeguards such as data access controls, highlighted by 74%, and human-in-the-loop oversight at 72%. US organisations, by contrast, place more weight on evaluation and testing capabilities.
Keith Power, Data and AI partner at PwC Ireland, said the findings point to a new phase for many organisations.
“Autonomous AI agents are acting as a catalyst for change,” Power said. “While many organisations are introducing safeguards such as human oversight and access controls, adoption remains uneven. This reinforces a widening maturity gap between leaders and laggards.”
He added: “The next phase for Irish organisations is scaling responsible AI to full, enterprise-wide adoption, supported by targeted investment in skills, governance capability and execution models. That is what will allow organisations to keep pace with regulation and rapidly evolving AI technologies.”
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