In 2025, the promise of AI is no longer theoretical. But while headlines talk about breakthroughs, Irish business leaders are grappling with far more grounded questions: Where does AI actually fit in my organisation? How do I build internal capabilities? And what does meaningful adoption look like in practice?
To explore these questions, we partnered with AI Ireland on the AI Readiness Pulse Survey (August/September 2025), capturing the views of business leaders and decision-makers across Ireland. Their responses offer a candid snapshot of where Irish organisations stand today and what they truly need to move forward. Speaking about the below results,
Susan Kelly, Operations Director for Technology Ireland ICT Skillnet, stated “The conversations we’re having with business leaders today feel different. There’s more urgency and a real desire to understand how AI can be embedded in a way that’s practical, ethical, and human.”
Exploration, Not Saturation: Ireland’s AI Landscape is Still Emerging
Only 27% of respondents have already implemented AI tools, while an equal number are in the testing phase. But the largest cohort – 34% – remain in the early stages of planning or research. A further 12% aren’t exploring AI at all.
This suggests AI adoption is still in its infancy for most Irish businesses. The high proportion in early planning indicates interest without clarity, a critical moment where guidance, case studies, and support could nudge organisations from intention to execution.
Insight: Businesses aren’t waiting for AI to become mainstream, they’re looking for the confidence and competence to take the first step.
Efficiency Over Innovation: Operational Gains Trump Trendy Tech
When asked which areas of the business stood to benefit most from AI, Operations and Finance led the way (37%), followed closely by Customer Engagement and Product Innovation (both at 27%).
What’s clear is that businesses see AI as a tool for solving hard, practical problems, such as improving workflows, reducing costs, and optimising performance. Despite the media hype around generative content and creativity, the corporate appetite is still firmly rooted in operational return on investment.
Insight: Businesses aren’t chasing AI for the sake of innovation – they want measurable, operational value.
AI Confidence is Low, Curiosity is High
Only 7% of respondents feel “very confident” in their organisation’s AI capabilities. The majority (over 60%) reported only slight or no confidence at all.
This knowledge gap is perhaps the most urgent barrier to adoption. Businesses are aware of AI’s potential, but unsure how to translate that into strategy, infrastructure, or execution.
Insight: For many Irish firms, AI feels like a foreign language – they need translation, not transformation.
Training Must Be Practical, Not Theoretical
When asked what would make AI training most valuable, a clear message emerged: make it useful. The top answers were practical tools/templates (43%) and real-world use cases (34%) – far outweighing interest in credentials (13%) or mentorship (9%).
What this tells us is that businesses are fatigued by abstract webinars and visionary panels. They’re hungry for usable frameworks, toolkits, and replicable success stories.
Insight: The era of AI hype is fading. Businesses now want hands-on, tactical enablement.
Skills Gap is the Number One Barrier But Not the Only One
When asked what’s holding them back from adopting AI, the top concern was a lack of AI skills (40%). But that’s just part of the picture.
Data privacy and security fears (18%), organisational resistance to change (12%), and trust issues (9%) also play a role. “Other” responses revealed even deeper organisational challenges: lack of senior buy-in, absence of clear use cases, competing priorities, and slow decision-making.
Insight: The barriers to AI adoption are rarely technical – they’re organisational and cultural.
The Support Businesses Really Need: Skills, Tools, and a Place to Experiment
Asked what support would help most, training and skills development (49%) was the overwhelming top answer. But respondents also highlighted the need for hands-on experimentation (24%) – sandbox environments where teams can test, fail, and learn.
This points to a vital lesson: even the best training won’t drive adoption without opportunities to put theory into practice.
Insight: Irish businesses want to learn by doing and they need safe, supported environments to explore.
Who Needs AI Training? Everyone…But Especially the Middle
The most critical training need identified was practical, role-specific AI skills (48%), not just for tech teams, but for marketers, finance professionals, HR leaders and others.
Executive-level awareness was also flagged (15%), highlighting the need for strategic vision. Meanwhile, technical teams called for deeper upskilling (16%), and a smaller group (12%) emphasised the importance of cross-functional literacy.
Insight: To truly embed AI, organisations need a layered approach, from C-suite strategy to front-line execution.
What Comes Next: From AI Research to AI Action
The AI Readiness Pulse Survey paints a clear picture: Irish organisations are ready to engage with AI, but they need targeted, tangible, and trustworthy support.
This means designing Artificial Intelligence training programmes that:
- Prioritise practicality over theory
- Offer cross-functional tracks for executives, operators, and technical staff
- Include interactive, use-case-driven modules
- Provide ongoing experimentation environments and follow-up support
By aligning to these needs, we can build an AI-ready workforce that’s confident, capable, and competitive, not just in 2026, but well into the future.
We’ll be using this data to guide the design of new AI training courses tailored for Irish organisations, with a sharp focus on practicality, accessibility, and impact.
If your business is interested in participating in pilot programmes or contributing to our next round of feedback, speak to our team today.
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