This is according to research from insurance broker and risk management company Gallagher in Ireland, which found that only 3% of Irish businesses are not using AI. By comparison, the same survey in the UK found that 15% of businesses are not using AI.
Commenting on the survey findings, Laura Vickers, Managing Director of Commercial Lines in Gallagher said:
“AI is transforming the way we live and work, with our survey showing that most Irish businesses are already using AI, and for a myriad different reasons.
Recent years have seen AI advance in leap and bounds. AI arguably has much greater potential to transform the workplace than previous breakthrough technologies, such as the internet and smartphones, have. AI can be used to drive innovation in a business and to make work processes more efficient, freeing up the time of employees. It can also help detect fraud and to reduce customer service costs.”
Gallagher commissioned a survey of 300 business decision makers across the UK & Ireland, 100 of whom are based in Ireland.
The survey identified the top 8 reasons employees in Irish businesses use AI:
- To improve customer service and support (43%)
- To be able to gather better data and insights that will benefit their business and customers (41%)
- To improve customer experience and engagement (39%)
- Supply chain management (37%)
- To provide an extra layer of IT security to the business (35%)
- To help detect fraudulent activity (34%)
- To automate business processes and free up the time of colleagues (30%)
- Accounting (18%)
Ms Vickers added:
“Whilst AI has the potential to deliver many benefits to businesses, there are valid concerns around the power of this technology, including privacy, misinformation and its potential to lead to job displacement. It’s important that business leaders ensure their employees are supported and trained in the use of the technology and that they have adequate cyber cover in place to help protect their businesses.”
Geographic differences on AI
The survey revealed some interesting geographic differences when it comes to the use of AI in the workplace including:
- Businesses in Dublin (43%) and Munster (40%) are the most inclined to use AI to help detect fraud (see Table 2 in Appendix). Businesses in Connacht are the least likely to use the technology to help detect fraud, with only one in ten (11%) doing so, followed by businesses in Ulster (25%) and Leinster (29%).
- Munster businesses are the most inclined to use AI to provide an extra layer of IT security for their business. The survey found that six in ten (60%) businesses in Munster use the technology for this reason compared one in four (24%) in Leinster and one in three (33%) in Dublin.
- Businesses in Munster are the most likely to use AI to improve customer service and support with 60% doing so compared to one in three (33%) firms in both Leinster and Connacht.
When it comes to using AI to free up the time of colleagues, Dublin businesses are the most inclined to do so (39%).
