Artificial intelligence is already part of everyday life in Ireland — even when people do not necessarily recognise it as AI.
It can appear in shopping recommendations, streaming services, journey planning, customer-service chatbots, translation, speech-to-text and facial recognition. Businesses are using AI for data analysis, administration, marketing, finance and other processes, while the Irish Government is developing new uses for AI across public services and healthcare.
The scale of adoption is growing. Central Statistics Office data shows that 20.2% of enterprises in Ireland used artificial intelligence in 2025, compared with 15.2% in 2024 and 8.1% in 2023.
But the figures also reveal an important divide: AI adoption is considerably higher among large companies than smaller businesses.
So where is AI actually being used in Ireland today?
Key Facts
| Area | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| Irish enterprise AI adoption | 20.2% of enterprises used AI in 2025 |
| 2023 comparison | 8.1% used AI |
| Large enterprises | 57.7% used AI |
| Medium enterprises | 28.6% used AI |
| Small enterprises | 17.2% used AI |
| Most common AI technology | Data mining, 10.8% |
| Natural-language generation | 9.3% |
| Business administration | 7.8% |
| Marketing or sales | 5.4% |
| Accounting/financial management | 4.7% |
| Production | 3.3% |
| Logistics | 1.5% |
Source: Central Statistics Office, Information Society Statistics – Enterprises 2025.
Table of Contents
- Where is AI being used in Ireland?
- AI in Irish businesses
- AI in everyday life
- AI in healthcare
- AI in public services
- AI in finance and accounting
- AI in marketing and customer services
- AI in manufacturing and logistics
- AI and jobs in Ireland
- How Ireland compares with the UK
- Why are some businesses still not using AI?
- What is Ireland doing about AI?
- What happens next?
Where Is AI Being Used in Ireland?
AI is being used across several parts of the Irish economy and digital environment.
The strongest official evidence comes from the CSO, which identifies applications ranging from data mining and natural-language generation to business administration, marketing, finance, production and logistics.
Outside the business statistics, Ireland’s AI Office says people can already encounter AI when receiving personalised recommendations, planning journeys, using customer-service chatbots, translating languages, using speech-to-text and unlocking phones with facial recognition.
That means AI should not be thought of simply as a chatbot or an experimental technology.
For many people, it is already operating quietly inside products and services they use.
AI in Irish Businesses
Irish businesses are becoming significant users of artificial intelligence, although adoption remains uneven.
In 2025, 20.2% of enterprises reported using AI. That was more than double the 8.1% recorded in 2023.
The size of the business matters.
Almost 58% of large enterprises used AI, compared with about 29% of medium-sized businesses and 17% of small enterprises.
This suggests that Ireland’s AI transition is not happening uniformly across the economy.
Large organisations generally have more resources for technology investment, data infrastructure and specialist skills. Smaller firms may have fewer resources and may be more likely to use ready-made AI services rather than build their own systems.
The CSO data shows that the most common AI technology among Irish enterprises was data mining, followed by natural-language generation and AI used for workflow automation or decision support.
What are Irish businesses using AI for?
The most common reported purpose was business administration, at 7.8% of enterprises.
Marketing and sales accounted for 5.4%, while accounting or financial management accounted for 4.7%.
AI was also used for production processes, R&D and innovation, ICT services and logistics.
The pattern is significant.
Rather than replacing an entire business model, AI is often being introduced into individual tasks and processes.
That is an important distinction when discussing AI’s impact on employment.
AI in Everyday Life
People can encounter AI without deliberately choosing an AI product.
The AI Office of Ireland identifies several examples.
Shopping recommendations
Online retailers can use AI systems to personalise recommendations based on behaviour and preferences.
Streaming recommendations
Streaming platforms can use AI-based recommendation systems to suggest content.
Travel and journey planning
AI can contribute to journey planning, traffic information and public transport information.
Customer service
Chatbots can use AI to respond to common customer questions.
Translation
AI can support automatic translation between languages.
Speech recognition
Speech-to-text technology can turn spoken language into written text.
Facial recognition
Facial-recognition systems can be used for functions such as unlocking smartphones.
The important point is that not every AI application looks like ChatGPT.
Much of the technology works in the background.
AI in Healthcare
Healthcare is becoming one of Ireland’s most important AI policy areas.
In March 2026, Ireland launched AI for Care 2026–2030, the country’s first national artificial intelligence strategy for health and social care.
The strategy focuses on using AI to improve patient outcomes, support healthcare staff and enable safer, faster and more personalised services.
This does not mean AI is replacing doctors or healthcare professionals.
Instead, the policy direction is towards using AI as a tool within healthcare systems while maintaining appropriate human oversight.
Ireland’s wider digital strategy also commits to accelerating healthcare transformation through Digital for Care 2030 and the AI for Care strategy.
Healthcare is therefore likely to become an increasingly important area of AI development in Ireland.
AI in Public Services
The Irish Government is also preparing for greater use of AI in public administration.
In 2025, the Government published guidelines for responsible AI use in the public service. The guidelines are intended to help public servants use AI while protecting public trust and people’s rights.
Ireland’s 2026 Digital and AI Strategy goes further.
It aims for all key public services to be digitalised by 2030, with 90% consumed online. It also includes an AI Advisory Unit, an AI Fellowship programme and AI training for public servants.
The objective is not simply to introduce more technology.
The Government says responsible and transparent AI should help make public services more responsive, efficient and personalised.
For citizens, this could eventually mean more automated and digitally assisted interactions with government services.
AI in Finance and Accounting
Finance is another area where AI is increasingly being introduced.
The CSO recorded AI use for accounting or financial management in 4.7% of Irish enterprises in 2025.
Potential applications can include analysing information, supporting financial processes and assisting decision-making, although the precise implementation varies between organisations.
The important point is that AI is moving into the administrative infrastructure of businesses rather than remaining confined to specialist technology teams.
AI in Marketing and Customer Services
Marketing and sales represented another significant category in the CSO data, with 5.4% of enterprises reporting AI use for those purposes.
This is an area where generative AI has made the technology visible to smaller businesses.
Businesses can use AI-enabled software to assist with tasks such as content generation, analysis and customer interactions.
However, the presence of AI does not automatically mean that a company has undergone a complete digital transformation.
Ireland’s business data suggests that many firms are still adopting AI selectively.
AI in Manufacturing and Logistics
AI is also entering parts of Ireland’s physical economy.
The CSO reported AI use in production processes among 3.3% of enterprises and logistics among 1.5% in 2025.
The Government’s 2026 consultation on enterprise AI adoption specifically includes manufacturing and construction alongside tourism and ICT services.
That matters because it broadens the AI conversation beyond software companies.
The next phase of adoption could increasingly involve physical businesses, industrial processes and sector-specific applications.
AI and Jobs in Ireland
One of the biggest questions surrounding AI is what it means for employment.
The available evidence does not support a simple conclusion that AI is already causing widespread job losses across Ireland.
Instead, AI is increasingly being introduced into individual tasks and workflows.
Irish business research has also highlighted the importance of training and skills. A 2026 Digital Business Ireland survey reported that 68% of surveyed businesses identified a lack of skills and training as their biggest constraint on AI adoption.
The implication is that the AI transition is partly a skills challenge.
Workers may increasingly need to understand how to work with AI systems, check their output and integrate them into existing processes.
That makes AI literacy potentially important across professions, not only within technology companies.
How Ireland Compares With the UK
The UK is also seeing rapid AI adoption.
The latest ONS analysis found that around 35% of UK businesses with 10 or more employees reported using at least one AI technology in June 2026, compared with around 12% in late 2023.
The ONS found particularly high adoption in information and communication, where almost three-fifths of businesses reported AI use.
Construction was much lower, at 13%.
The UK data also found that improving business operations was the most common AI purpose.
But Ireland and the UK should not be ranked directly using these percentages without qualification.
The surveys use different methodologies and coverage.
The more useful comparison is that both countries are seeing AI move into mainstream business processes, while adoption remains considerably higher in larger and more digitally intensive organisations.
Why Are Some Businesses Still Not Using AI?
AI adoption is not automatic.
Cost, skills, uncertainty and difficulty identifying useful applications can all slow adoption.
The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology found that lack of expertise, cost and difficulty identifying business use cases were among the major barriers reported by businesses.
Irish evidence points in a similar direction.
The gap between large and small Irish enterprises is particularly striking: 57.7% of large enterprises used AI in 2025, compared with 17.2% of small enterprises.
This means that the next phase of Ireland’s AI story may be less about whether AI exists and more about whether smaller businesses can use it effectively.
What Is Ireland Doing About AI?
Ireland’s AI policy is expanding on several fronts.
The Government’s 2026 Digital and AI Strategy sets out 90 deliverables covering digital public services, enterprise, infrastructure, cybersecurity, digital regulation and skills.
The Government is also developing a targeted sectoral approach to AI adoption.
In July 2026, businesses in manufacturing, tourism, construction and ICT services were invited to provide evidence about how they currently use AI, the opportunities they see and the barriers they face.
Ireland is simultaneously developing its AI regulatory infrastructure.
The Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 is intended to provide the national enforcement architecture for the EU AI Act and establish the AI Office of Ireland as the central coordinating authority.
This means Ireland’s AI strategy is developing around three broad themes:
- Adoption
- Innovation
- Responsible regulation
What Does AI Mean for Irish Consumers?
For consumers, the biggest change may be the increasing amount of AI operating invisibly.
People may encounter AI through:
- search and recommendations
- online customer support
- navigation
- translation
- voice recognition
- smartphones
- digital services
- healthcare technology
- financial services.
The practical issue is therefore not simply whether someone uses an AI chatbot.
It is whether AI is increasingly influencing the information, services and decisions they encounter.
That makes transparency, privacy and digital literacy increasingly important.
What Does AI Mean for Irish Businesses?
For businesses, the opportunity is more immediate.
The CSO data shows that AI adoption has already more than doubled since 2023.
But adoption alone does not guarantee productivity gains.
Companies need to identify useful applications, train employees, protect sensitive information and establish appropriate governance.
This is particularly important for SMEs, where adoption remains considerably below the level recorded among large enterprises.
The next phase of Ireland’s AI story may therefore be about turning experimentation into useful, measurable adoption.
What Happens Next?
Ireland is moving towards a more structured AI economy.
The Government wants to expand enterprise adoption, digitalise public services and develop AI capability across the public sector.
Healthcare has its own AI strategy.
Enterprise AI adoption is being examined sector by sector.
The country’s AI regulatory infrastructure is developing.
And the latest CSO data shows that businesses are already using AI in areas ranging from administration and marketing to data mining, finance, production and logistics.
The most important question is therefore no longer whether AI is coming to Ireland.
It is how deeply it will become embedded in Irish businesses, public services and everyday life — and whether people and organisations have the skills and safeguards needed to use it well.
For now, the evidence suggests that Ireland is firmly in the adoption phase.
AI is already here.
But the transformation is still only beginning.
TAKEAWAYS
Key facts
- 20.2% of Irish enterprises used AI in 2025.
- Adoption rose from 8.1% in 2023.
- 57.7% of large Irish enterprises used AI.
- 28.6% of medium enterprises used AI.
- 17.2% of small enterprises used AI.
- Data mining was the most common AI technology.
- Business administration was the most common reported purpose.
- Ireland launched its first national AI strategy for healthcare in 2026.
- Ireland’s 2026 Digital and AI Strategy contains 90 deliverables.
- Ireland is developing its national AI regulatory infrastructure.
Key takeaway
AI is already being used across Ireland, but adoption is uneven. The strongest current evidence points to AI being embedded into business processes, data analysis, administration and everyday digital services rather than replacing entire occupations or industries overnight.
FAQ SECTION
Where is AI being used in Ireland?
AI is being used in business administration, data analysis, marketing, finance, production, logistics, public services, healthcare and everyday digital services such as recommendations, journey planning, chatbots, translation and speech recognition.
How many Irish businesses use AI?
The CSO found that 20.2% of Irish enterprises used AI in 2025, compared with 15.2% in 2024.
Which Irish businesses use AI the most?
Large enterprises have the highest adoption. In 2025, 57.7% of large enterprises used AI, compared with 28.6% of medium enterprises and 17.2% of small enterprises.
What is AI mainly used for in Ireland?
The CSO found that business administrative processes were the most common reported purpose, while data mining was the most common AI technology.
Is AI used in Irish healthcare?
Yes. Ireland launched AI for Care 2026–2030, its first national AI strategy for health and social care, in March 2026.
Does the Irish Government use AI?
Ireland has published responsible-AI guidelines for the public service and its 2026 Digital and AI Strategy includes an AI Advisory Unit, AI training and further digitalisation of public services.
Is AI replacing jobs in Ireland?
The available evidence does not establish widespread AI-driven job replacement across Ireland. Much current adoption is focused on tasks and processes, while skills and training are emerging as major issues for businesses.
Is Ireland a leader in AI?
Ireland has a strong technology ecosystem and significant AI ambitions, but enterprise adoption is not uniformly among Europe’s highest. CSO data puts Irish enterprise AI adoption at approximately the EU average in 2025, while Denmark and Finland recorded higher rates.
What is the AI Office of Ireland?
The AI Office of Ireland is Ireland’s national authority responsible for coordinating implementation of the EU AI Act.
What will happen to AI in Ireland next?
The next stage is likely to focus on wider enterprise adoption, public-service applications, healthcare, skills, AI infrastructure and regulation, supported by Ireland’s 2026 Digital and AI Strategy.
