As the home of the European headquarters of many of the world’s largest technology, digital and cyber companies, Ireland is ideally positioned to be a global digital and AI hub for both innovation and regulation.
Recognising the significant opportunity that exists in digital, AI and cyber, businesses are increasingly investing in these areas. According to a recent American Chamber of Commerce Ireland (AmCham) survey, 44 per cent of respondents said they expect that AI transformation will directly result in companies increasing investment in Ireland in the next five years.
But how are companies innovating with AI, digital and cyber right now? Is it already transforming their work and what does the future hold?
According to Owen Lewis, head of AI and management consulting at KPMG in Ireland, organisations are embracing AI, digital and cyber technologies, making them significant investment priorities.
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“Our recent CEO Outlook 2024 report indicates that top CEOs are betting big on AI over the next three years, with generative AI (GenAI) in particular ranking in the top three strategies for achieving growth objectives,” he says, adding that this trend underscores the importance of digital transformation in the current business landscape. “CEOs in Ireland recognise that these technologies are not just tools for efficiency but are critical for staying competitive and resilient in a rapidly changing environment.”
AI and digital tools are already reshaping business operations and the everyday work of employees, Lewis points out.
“We’ve seen AI implemented to enhance decision-making processes, automate routine tasks, and improve customer experiences, and this allows teams to focus on more strategic and creative tasks, increasing overall productivity and job satisfaction,” he says.
And looking to the future, the opportunities are huge, he believes: “As AI continues to evolve, it will open new avenues for innovation and growth. Irish businesses that invest in the technology will be better positioned to develop new business models, enhance customer engagement and drive operational efficiencies.”
“Investment in AI, digitalisation and cybersecurity is now essential, not optional,” says Leo Moore, partner and head of William Fry’s technology group. These technologies drive agility, efficiency and cybersecurity, crucial for competitive advantage, he says. “Our clients, especially in regulated sectors, invest heavily in AI for operational resilience and regulatory compliance.”
Emerging AI applications – for example, agentic AI, digital twins, on-device processing and hyper-personalised customer engagement – offer immense potential for innovation, productivity, efficiency and competitive advantage across many sectors such as healthcare, finance, retail and logistics, says Moore.
“Our organisation has adopted a digital first approach to our new manufacturing facilities and is driving an innovative digital transformation agenda in existing manufacturing facilities,” says Carmel Condon, senior director, tech, at Lilly. “Key focus areas include paperless operations, automated processes and data utilisation to drive efficiency, enhance compliance and drive greater process insights.”
The company also leverages AI in many forms across the business. “At its most basic level, for co-authoring of documents locally here in Kinsale, it has become most valuable in providing advanced analytics for greater process insights,” says Condon.
Lilly is investing more than $2 billion (€1.88 billion) in Lilly Limerick, set to be one of the most digitally advanced plants in the Lilly manufacturing world, and it is on track to be making medicine in 2026.
“The Limerick manufacturing site will be a fully integrated digital site with the latest machine automation, manufacturing execution and data technologies designed to ensure product and data quality,” says Condon.
Companies embracing digital transformation tend to achieve superior productivity, adaptability and regulatory compliance, adds Barry Scannell, partner in the William Fry Technology Group. He says those lagging in digital engagement and/or transformation will encounter technological disadvantages and may even face regulatory compliance challenges, “in either case risking competitive disadvantage”.
“With AI’s rapid technological progression, slower adopters may struggle to adapt to imminent advancements,” says Scannell. “Digital transformation isn’t just current best practice; it builds critical agility, as we see at William Fry through our own AI initiatives.”
But apprehension is understandable and trust in AI cannot be assumed – it must be earned, says Emmanuel Adeleke, partner in technology and transformation engineering, AI and data at Deloitte.
This is where transparency and regulation come into play. “The EU’s AI Act is one of the most comprehensive efforts to ensure AI is used responsibly,” explains Adeleke. “By categorising AI systems based on their risk and requiring transparency about how they work, the Act aims to build a more robust framework for AI deployment. It’s a very necessary step to address concerns around privacy, data security and bias.”
According to David Kirton, partner in IP, technology and DP at Eversheds Sutherland, the use of AI tools by Irish businesses, and particularly the use of generative AI, has skyrocketed.
“Deployed effectively, AI technologies can deliver huge efficiencies, foster innovation and support human intelligence in a way that we as a society have never before experienced. At one end of the scale, many Irish businesses have created new roles entirely focused on delivering AI and helping their organisations take advantage of the benefits and opportunities it offers,” he says. “But other organisations have taken a much more cautious approach and their level of AI adoption is currently very limited.”
From a regulatory standpoint, Kirton says there is a huge opportunity for Ireland to become a standard-setter.
“A number of the pioneers in this space have their European headquarters in Ireland,” he says. “This means that Irish regulators, such as the Data Protection Commission, have a vital role to play in fostering innovation and allowing organisations to reap the huge benefits of AI, while ensuring that these technologies are designed and deployed in a way that respects fundamental rights.”
Businesses must also take a proactive role in ensuring trustworthy AI adoption, he stresses, adding that ensuring AI is used in conjunction with, rather than in place of, human judgment remains crucial.
“Every single tool, whether it’s a hammer or an algorithm, can be used in a benign or malignant way,” says Kirton. “Building trust in AI will continue to remain a human challenge. Some of the big concerns we hear are about the potential for AI to create misinformation. However, these are human-created algorithms. This is about enhancing human expertise, not replacing it.”
Jason Ward is vice-president EMEA North and managing director of Dell Technologies Ireland. He says AI is no longer a distant concept and is already reshaping Ireland’s business landscape at an unprecedented pace.
“The shift towards accelerated computing is revolutionising productivity levels, much like the industrial revolution, with potential gains of 20-40 per cent,” he says. “AI is also modernising the workplace, enabling employees to focus on higher-value tasks. But it will require continuous innovation and investment in skills and infrastructure to fully unlock the opportunities of our AI era.”
Dell is helping businesses and organisations to unlock the power of this transformative technology, says Ward. For example, Dell’s Customer Solutions Centre Innovation Lab in Limerick provides a space for customers to see how GenAI can benefit their business.
“GenAI can create virtual prototypes, allowing engineers and designers to evaluate and refine suggested designs before moving to physical prototyping,” says Ward. “This approach can significantly reduce time and costs associated with the traditional product development cycle.”
The blistering pace of AI evolution means the near future holds even more promise.
AI at the edge presents significant opportunities for enhancing the capabilities and performance of humanoid robots, Ward explains: “Edge AI allows humanoid robots to process data and make decisions locally, without relying on cloud connectivity. Quick processing of sensor data enables robots to detect and respond to potential hazards or unexpected obstacles in real time, enhancing overall safety in human-robot interactions.”
Workhuman’s investment in AI is leading to quite dramatic efficiency gains. “This year, we’ve continued to drive internal innovation, implementing an advanced AI solution for our Customer Service teams,” says Shmulik Barel, vice-president of product engineering at the company.
“Our latest AI application has automated 50 per cent of administrative tasks, transforming the efficiency of our email and phone case management. By streamlining these processes, our teams can now focus more on delivering high-quality customer support while handling cases faster and with greater accuracy.”
This new AI system allows agents to instantly categorise incoming inquiries, prioritise urgent cases and respond to common questions with AI.
“Other key features included sentiment analysis, case routing and automated resolutions, enabling our agents to focus on higher-value tasks,” Barel adds. “This has not gone unnoticed; our team is a finalist in the AI Ireland Awards for best application of AI in consumer/customer service.”
AI has also transformed how WorkHuman serves its clients. “We offer our own AI-powered analytic solutions that help them leverage data to make strategic decisions about their workforce, improve employee engagement and ultimately achieve better outcomes in their organisations,” says Barel. “With that, our operations are now all AI-focused, externally and internally, making us a truly AI-first company.”
ServiceNow’s AI platform helps customers across all industries keep pace with innovation and transformation for their business, including AI, digital and cyber technologies.
We are seeing first hand how AI is amplifying the scale and speed of attacks for threat actors, as well as revolutionising threat detection and defence strategies, and giving cyber defenders the upper hand against malicious actors
— Carla Baker Palo Alto Networks
“They’re not just tools – they’re the lifeblood of our business,” says Mark Cockerill, senior vice-president, legal, at ServiceNow. “As our own ‘customer zero’, we’re at the forefront of using our own solutions to integrate AI, digital and cybertechnologies across all business units and teams.”
This includes enhancing customer service through generative AI-driven case summaries and chatbots with Now Assist, to fortifying its security and risk management with advanced cybertechnologies such as machine learning for threat detection.
“Now Assist for Security Operations (SecOps) harnesses the power of AI to accelerate response times and swiftly contain security threats,” says Cockerill, noting that more than 85 per cent of Fortune 500 companies have used this platform.
Across industry, AI is taking over mundane tasks, freeing people to focus on more complex and impactful work, he adds. As part of ServiceNow’s last platform release, Xanadu, the company rolled out powerful new data enhancements that transform how employees work.
“The RaptorDB high-performance database empowers teams to quickly filter and process the data that matters most, turning even the most complex queries into lightning-fast responses,” says Cockerill. “Early-use cases have seen phenomenal results and transaction times have sped up by 53 per cent.”
A crucial aspect of this technological revolution is the need to reskill teams for the future of work, he adds: “ServiceNow recently shared its commitment to reskill three million learners globally by the end of 2027 through AI learning tools. We all need to play a part in supporting teams through this rapid pace of change.”
KPMG’s Lewis warns, however, that the focus on cybersecurity will become even more critical as digital threats continue to evolve: “Leaders who prioritise cybersecurity will not only protect their assets but also build trust with their customers and stakeholders.”
The impact AI is having on cybersecurity and the wider technology ecosystem cannot be understated, agrees Carla Baker, senior director, public policy UK and Ireland at Palo Alto Networks.
“We are seeing first hand how AI is amplifying the scale and speed of attacks for threat actors, as well as revolutionising threat detection and defence strategies, and giving cyber defenders the upper hand against malicious actors,” she says. “This process of continuous discovery and analysis allows threat detection to stay ahead of the adversary. This real-time awareness of the threat landscape allows our company to block over 11.3 billion attacks each day. This would simply not be possible without AI.”
Of course, cyber adversaries are already using AI to advance their tradecraft.
“Today, threat actors are leveraging AI to conduct reconnaissance, enhance social engineering, develop malicious code, automate vulnerability exploitation, create deepfake attacks and launch prompt injection attacks,” says Baker.
“With increases in cybersecurity threats and greater use of digital technology, there is a continued focus on cybersecurity advancement, and ongoing investment is a key part of that,” says Lilly’s Condon.
“The cybersecurity landscape will continually evolve. Opportunities in this area include enhancing our cybersecurity infrastructure to protect against evolving threats, implementing advanced threat detection and response systems, and investing in continuous upskilling of staff to be alert to cyber potential risks.”