Irish businesses prioritise AI for growth, but investment levels lag global peers

• 41% of Irish C-suite leaders name AI as their top technology investment priority
• Yet only 10% invest more than 20% of budget in AI – less than the global rate
• 44% say AI is creating new roles

New research reveals that Irish businesses are investing significantly less in AI than their global counterparts, even as they acknowledge it as critical to competitive advantage indicating a potential competitive vulnerability.

According to the latest Forvis Mazars C-suite Barometer: Outlook 2026, 68% of Irish executives have formal technology transformation strategies in place, with AI as the undisputed priority. Half report AI is already delivering major impact on their operations, and four in five have restructured teams to implement it. Despite this, only 10% allocate more than 20% of their technology budgets to AI, compared to 15% globally, raising important questions about whether Irish businesses can sustain competitive advantage without increasing investment.

Commenting on the findings, Liam McKenna, Partner at Forvis Mazars in Ireland, said:

"Irish business leaders are convinced of AI's importance and are moving fast to implement it. What is concerning is the investment gap. While they express the highest confidence in AI ROI among all technology investments, their budget allocation doesn't live up to that. With Irish business investing lower rates of global peers, they risk missing the opportunity AI brings and competitive vulnerability. Now is the time for boards to align their investment with their strategy."

The research also suggests AI in Ireland is proving to be a creator of job opportunities as 44% say AI is already creating new roles while 24% of leaders report job displacement. This suggests a workforce in transition with skills evolving rather than disappearing, though it raises questions about reskilling, talent development and education pipeline readiness.

Three-quarters of Irish leaders express ethical and societal concerns about AI yet continue to adopt the technology. This suggests Irish businesses are grappling with responsible AI deployment, wanting to harness competitive advantage while managing social and governance risks.

"The organisations that win in the next three to five years will be those that move decisively on AI investment while managing risk and ethical and societal l concerns in parallel," added McKenna. "Irish businesses must bridge the investment gap while building the infrastructure, skills and governance frameworks to support responsible AI adoption. This means stronger collaboration between business, education and government to unlock the full potential of AI as a competitive advantage.”