by Patrick Shields – AI PhD Researcher, Munster Technological University
Aligning National AI Goals With Local Business Realities
As third-level institutions launch AI courses across multiple disciplines this semester, there is a unique opportunity to support an essential business cohort in this country: the small to medium-sized enterprise (SMEs). In Ireland, SMEs account for over 99% of all businesses according to the Central Statistics Office. They also happen to be struggling in AI adoption in comparison to their multinational counterparts.
Recent research has outlined how SMEs are adopting AI in a piecemeal and fragmented fashion, with just 10% possessing any AI strategy at all. Not having a strategy may indicate an absence of policy, and therein lies a significant communication issue at the heart of the AI adoption challenge. Further insights describe how four out of five business leaders believe AI is being used within their companies with little to no guardrails. This presents a significant challenge to Ireland’s National AI Strategy, which was originally published in 2021 but has since been updated to include several initiatives, such as the objective of establishing an AI awareness campaign for SMEs. The Government recognises that to achieve the original goal of 75% of all businesses embracing AI by 2030, and all the investment that this will encourage, it will be essential to address the gap between SMEs and their multinational counterparts. Perhaps these endeavours can be supported at third-level, especially given the percentage of businesses that fall into the SME bracket and the demand for upskilling.
Turning AI Potential Into Practical Know-How
Having spent the summer months of 2025 meeting businesses as part of a Chamber of Commerce AI mentoring initiative in the South East of Ireland, I believe there is a significant education gap here in which third-level institutions could assist in meeting. It became clear that the business representatives that I spoke to had serious questions about how to properly commence and embrace their AI journeys. For them, it wasn’t about the technical element because many of their existing programs and applications were adding AI features and introducing new AI-enabled tools which they could easily access. The prominent issue was in managing the process of deploying the technology in a way that matched employee buy-in with integrated, sustained & appropriate usage for maximum benefit. They require frameworks and education to roll this out effectively.
A real-world story:
As I returned to my AI adoption PhD studies this Autumn, I had the pleasure of meeting a part-time student who was employed by a local tech company in Cork. He wished to share the story of an AI initiative his employer had embarked upon, which left him feeling anxious. The company had rolled out an AI meeting transcription tool to the surprise of its employees. There had been no prior communication about its deployment, and the tool was now in active use inside the organisation. This particular student felt that the AI was useful but had its limitations, such as, for example, not being able to identify meeting speakers on the AI-generated meeting transcripts. He had his doubts as to whether the tool would stay in use at his workplace in the future, and he had not received any policy documents related to its correct handling. He also stated that he was not aware if the organisation had an AI strategy, and the manner in which the technology had been integrated into daily operations had left him and his colleagues feeling quite uneasy. He felt that the team would have benefited enormously from some communication before and during the rollout. This same student was looking to commence a course in effective AI adoption and proclaimed his belief that the industry was crying out for more training and development in this area.
The above tale of potentially failing deployment is unfortunately not an isolated case. Reports in the US have shown that up to 95% of AI pilots are failing before they ever make it to full production inside organisations. There may be many complex reasons for this, but one must certainly be the lack of understanding of the cultural impact of such change on teams, compounded by many examples of inadequate communication. It appears to me that despite the global investment in technology and the genuine intention to embrace AI, organisations continue to struggle with the employee education aspect of this transformation. If employers will prioritise training and development in partnership with education providers, they may dramatically increase their chances of success. This may include the establishment of joint frameworks for AI deployment and management with educational courses aligned to emerging business needs.
In adopting a people development approach, companies may not only improve the chances of AI pilot success but will foster trust, alignment and buy-in. Surely this is the real promise of AI, a better, brighter organisational future, starting this winter, where your greatest asset – your people, are not left completely out in the cold and supported by higher education.
Links
https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/2025/ai-expected-to-add-250bn-to-irelands-economy-by-2035
https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/national-ai-strategy.html
https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/national-ai-strategy-refresh-2024.html
Patrick Shields
AI PhD Researcher
Munster Technological University
I am a PhD Researcher at Munster Technological University, researching how small and medium-sized businesses adopt Artificial Intelligence with a particular focus on the human, strategic and organisational dynamics involved. My work looks beyond the technical layer, exploring how AI can be introduced in practical, low-friction ways that support real business outcomes.
