Responsible AI practices are still in their infancy in Ireland - new PwC study reveals

Few Irish companies say responsible AI is a business priority right across the organisation

While responsible AI has moved onto the business agenda in Ireland, few are strategically recognising it as a business priority right across the organisation. The survey finds that while 77% of Irish respondents have started the journey towards responsible AI and AI governance practices (US: 82%), less than a fifth (19%) told us that their responsible AI practices are a business priority right across the organisation (US: 28%). Significantly, fewer Irish organisations compared to US counterparts have reached the point where responsible AI is anchored at leadership level and carried consistently through the operating model. This is against a background of a key finding in PwC’s recent AI Performance study which found that AI leaders around the world are 1.7 times as likely to have a responsible AI framework that guides their use of AI.

The real gap on responsible AI is execution effectiveness

Irish organisations significantly trail their US counterparts in terms of AI governance execution on every dimension measured. They lag US peers on the basic mechanics of responsible AI such as consistent standards, ownership and employee training. On average, less than a quarter (23%) said that their organisation is ‘very effective’ at putting responsible AI into practice across a range of measures compared to 49% for US peers. For example, just 16% of Irish respondents said that they rate their organisation as ‘very effective’ in AI development and deployment standards (US: 52%). Other areas with a significant AI governance execution gap include: communication of responsible AI priorities (Ireland: 21%; US: 52%); employee training (Ireland: 14%; US: 49%), applying a risk-based approach to AI governance (Ireland: 33%; US: 47%) and having clear roles and responsibilities (Ireland: 28%; US: 52%).

Scaling responsible AI practices and resourcing the greatest barriers

The barriers help explain why Irish firms lag US counterparts on responsible AI. Irish organisations may be trying to advance responsible AI adoption, but without commensurate investment. Over three-quarters (77%) of Irish respondents reported that the single key barrier to operationalising responsible AI is the difficulty scaling responsible AI principles into operations, significantly behind the US (50%). Over a third (37%) said it was the lack of clarity on ownership (US: 20%) and three-out-of-ten (30%) said it was lack of tools (US: 37%). On the other hand, Irish respondents saw cultural resistance (Ireland: 28%; US: 40%) as less of a barrier compared to US peers.

Resourcing is also a key hurdle. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Irish respondents reported that their organisation’s allocation of resources to responsible AI and AI governance is not enough (US: 29%).

David Lee, Chief Operating Officer, PwC Ireland, said: “Trust, driven by responsible AI practices, is critical for maximum return and value from AI. The study highlights that in Ireland the process of gaining responsible AI has not yet moved to enterprise-wide adoption with full scale governance and regulatory readiness. Organisations struggle most with turning high-level responsible principles into repeatable, scalable operational practices. Resourcing constraints, unclear ownership and insufficient tooling are slowing progress, even where leadership recognises the importance of responsible AI.

“Despite these challenges, attitudes towards responsible AI are shifting. The leading firms increasingly see responsible AI as a strategic business enabler, delivering tangible value through stronger trust, reduced regulatory risk, improved customer experience and better returns on AI investment.”

Ireland: Greatest value from responsible AI seen as reducing risk and building trust with return on investment happening at a slower pace

Responsible AI is increasingly being seen by Irish organisations not just as a way to reduce risk but a way to tangibly build trust and drive improved return on AI investment. Irish organisations, operating in a more regulated context, recognise the value from responsible AI in reducing regulatory risk (Ireland: 67%; US: 39%), protecting brand reputation (Ireland: 58%; US: 35%), and enhanced cybersecurity protection (Ireland: 58%; US: 51%). However, they are now also beginning to see the value of responsible AI in driving better customer experience, innovation and ultimately improving return on AI investment, albeit this is coming at a slower pace versus their US peers (Ireland 44%; US 58%).

The majority of Irish companies are not yet fully prepared for the EU AI Act

The study reveals that EU AI Act readiness by Irish organisations is an area where preparation has fallen behind. Just 14% of Irish respondents confirmed that their organisation is fully prepared to comply with the EU AI Act. A further 70% said that they are partially prepared. Key challenges Irish organisations have encountered in preparing for EU AI Act compliance are: limited internal expertise (53%), budget/resource constraints (37%) and lack of clarity about EU AI Act requirements (30%).

Autonomous AI agents set to reshape AI governance but pace slower in Ireland compared to the US

Autonomous AI agents are set to reshape AI governance. However, Irish organisations are less likely than US peers to expect autonomous AI agents to reshape their organisation’s approach to AI governance in the year ahead (Ireland: 56%; US: 87%). At the same time, Irish companies are more focused on foundational safeguards to govern AI agent activity compared to US counterparts such as data access controls (Ireland: 74%; US: 55%) and having human-in-the-loop oversight (Ireland: 72%; US: 52%). On the other hand, US peers see evaluating and testing capabilities as one of the most important safeguard protocols (Ireland: 37%; US: 52%). This suggests that Ireland may be prioritising AI agent safeguard protocols driven by tighter regulations, while the US is moving faster on assurance mechanisms for AI agent behaviour. As systems become more autonomous, organisations will need both.

Keith Power, Data & AI Partner, PwC Ireland, concluded: “Looking ahead, the rise of autonomous AI agents is acting as a catalyst for change. The majority of leaders expect governance models to evolve significantly over the next year. While many organisations are beginning to introduce safeguards such as human oversight and access controls, full adoption still remains patchy, reinforcing a widening maturity gap between leaders and laggards.”

“The study highlights a clear next phase for Irish organisations: scaling responsible AI and shifting towards full enterprise-wide adoption, underpinned by targeted investment in skills, governance capability and scalable execution models to keep pace with regulatory demands and rapidly evolving AI technologies.”  

ENDS

Notes to editors:

About the survey

The research establishes the progress of responsible AI by Irish firms and how responsible AI practices are evolving. The study was conducted amongst Irish business leaders and the results compared to similar earlier PwC US research. Responsible AI is defined as making sure AI is useful and innovative while also being safe, secure, fair, transparent, and accountable.