Irish business leaders became significantly more positive about artificial intelligence in August, with 72% saying they were excited about the opportunities it presented, according to new research from technology and consulting company Expleo.
The figure was up from 60% in July, with Ireland moving from being the most pessimistic market measured by Expleo’s AI Pulse tracker to the most excited about the opportunities AI could bring to organisations.
However, the increased optimism was accompanied by concerns about the impact of the technology on jobs and organisations.
More than half of Irish business leaders surveyed (53%) said they were worried about the impact AI would have on their jobs.
A further 53% said they were concerned about how AI was transforming their organisations, compared with an average of 38% across the other markets included in the research.
The monthly AI Pulse research was conducted by Opinium among 800 business leaders across Ireland, the UK, Germany and France.
Cyber security was another concern, with 63% of Irish respondents saying they were worried about the risks AI posed to their organisations.
Despite those concerns, 70% said they trusted their organisation to use AI ethically, up from 62% in July.
The research also suggested that perceptions of AI as a business opportunity were strengthening. Some 61% of Irish business leaders viewed AI primarily as a business benefit, compared with 54% in July, while one in five viewed it as a business risk.
The survey also examined the relationship between AI-generated content and consumer trust.
Some 38% of Irish business leaders said they would lose confidence in a company if its marketing or advertising material appeared to have been produced by AI.
The finding comes as transparency requirements under the EU AI Act introduce obligations around identifying and disclosing certain AI-generated content.
Phil Codd, managing director for Ireland at Expleo, said the monthly changes in the survey showed how quickly attitudes towards AI were evolving.
“What stands out in this latest AI Pulse data is the gap between enthusiasm for AI and comfort with what it means in practice,” Codd said.
He added: “Leaders believe that AI will be good for their businesses, but many are still asking what that transformation will mean for them personally, for their people and for the security of their organisations.”
Codd said businesses needed to bring leadership teams into their AI adoption plans, arguing that uncertainty among senior leaders could also affect their employees.
The August findings showed a change in sentiment from July, when Ireland had recorded the lowest levels of optimism across the European markets measured by the AI Pulse.
Patryk Goron
Ltd
