Irish business leaders gain confidence in AI, despite remaining unease
Wed, 22nd Apr 2026
Expleo reported rising confidence in artificial intelligence among business leaders in Ireland, with its latest AI Pulse tracker giving the country an overall score of 65 out of 100 in March.
The survey also found that Ireland remains the most concerned about AI among the four markets covered: Ireland, the UK, Germany and France.
Several measures improved from the previous month. The share of Irish business leaders worried about AI's impact on their job fell to 35% from 44%. Meanwhile, 69% said they were confident in their organisation's ability to use AI successfully, up 8 percentage points, and 61% said they now see AI as a benefit rather than a risk, a rise of 7 points.
The overall score rose by one point from February, indicating a modest shift in sentiment. While the headline change was limited, the underlying figures pointed to stronger confidence in specific areas.
European Comparison
Despite those gains, Irish respondents remained more uneasy about AI's effects than their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. In Ireland, 43% said they were worried about how AI is transforming their organisation, compared with 35% in the UK, 37% in Germany and 41% in France.
Cybersecurity was also a notable concern. Six in 10 Irish business leaders said they were worried about the cybersecurity risks posed by AI, compared with 47% in Germany and 58% in both France and the UK.
The results suggest Irish businesses are becoming more open to AI while remaining cautious about the pace and impact of adoption. That combination of rising confidence and persistent anxiety was a defining feature of the latest tracker.
Respondents using AI in business settings also reported productivity gains. Irish business leaders said they saved an average of 3.2 hours a week through AI, slightly below the 3.5 hours reported in the UK.
The tracker is based on responses from 200 people in each of the four countries. It measures sentiment on a scale from 0, described as very worried, to 100, described as very confident, tracking worry, excitement, trust and confidence in AI-led technology over time.
Ireland's results place it in a more guarded position than neighbouring markets, even as confidence improves. The data points to a business community growing more comfortable with AI in practical use while remaining alert to disruption in jobs, organisational change and security.
Rebecca Keenan, AI & Automation Director at Expleo, said: "The direction of travel is clear - Irish business leaders are becoming more confident in AI, and more convinced of the value it delivers. But confidence alone doesn't create results. The fact that we still record the highest levels of concern across all four markets tells us something important: there is a trust deficit that education and hands-on experience must address. Organisations that close that gap first won't just keep pace with their European peers, they'll outperform them."