Ahead of tomorrow’s International AI Summit in Dublin, a key event of Ireland’s EU Presidency, Chambers Ireland has called for an AI investment strategy that supports both Ireland’s capacity to attract leading technology investment and the ability of businesses throughout the economy, particularly SMEs, to adopt artificial intelligence and convert it into measurable productivity gains.
The call follows the Irish launch of the Eurochambres Chief Economists Group working paper, The Effects of AI on Europe’s Productivity. The paper identifies a positive association between AI adoption and labour productivity, while also highlighting significant differences in uptake across countries, sectors and businesses of different sizes.
Chambers Ireland believes that Ireland should continue to compete for high-value AI investment, but that the success of this investment should also be judged by its wider economic impact: stronger indigenous businesses, better diffusion of technology, increased workforce capability and demonstrable productivity gains across regions and sectors.
Commenting, Chief Executive of Chambers Ireland Ian Talbot said:
“AI gives businesses an opportunity to develop new products and services, test ideas more quickly and explore entirely new business models. Used effectively, it could expand what companies are capable of doing and generate new economic activity and employment.
Equally, as AI becomes more widely available, the focus should be on whether businesses across the economy can use the technology effectively. Its impact on productivity will ultimately depend on whether it changes how businesses operate and use it to get more from the resources already available to them.”
He continued:
“Evidence from across Europe shows that SMEs lag behind larger companies in adopting the technology. Businesses need the expertise, skills and organisational capacity to identify where AI can add value and incorporate it effectively into their operations. This is particularly important for smaller firms, which do not have the same financial and managerial resources as larger businesses.
We are calling on Government to provide businesses of all sizes with a clear pathway from initial advice to practical adoption, including access to advisory services, demonstration projects and testing environments. Continued investment in digital
infrastructure and improved access to secure, high-quality data will also be essential if companies are to deploy AI effectively.
Businesses are already managing a substantial and growing body of regulatory requirements and absorbing time and resources that could otherwise support investment and innovation. As the EU AI Act is implemented, Government should provide clear, practical and proportionate guidance, avoid duplicative national requirements and ensure that SMEs can comply without disproportionate cost or complexity.
Skills will be central to wider AI adoption, and last week’s €150 million commitment from the National Training Fund is a welcome recognition of the investment needed to prepare businesses and workers for these changes. The focus should now be on providing accessible, employer-informed programmes that help businesses use AI effectively and responsibly.”
Talbot concluded:
“The challenge now is to ensure that the benefits of AI are not concentrated in a small number of sectors, regions or among businesses already best equipped to adopt it. Government policy should seek to broaden access across the economy and ensure that public support for AI investment strengthens our enterprise base, workforce capability and long-term productivity.”