Expleo’s research looked at how European businesses think about AI adoption.
Technology and consulting company Expleo has announced the results of its AI sentiment tracker AI Pulse for Ireland. The organization collected data from 200 respondents in Ireland, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom to determine their levels of fear, excitement, confidence, and confidence in AI-driven technologies.
The research found that Irish business leaders are far more likely to value empathy as a fundamental skill for managers in the AI era, ahead of their European counterparts in contributing, amid continuing concerns about the impact of technology on the global job market.
Data taken in April revealed that Irish business leaders believe human-centered, empathetic coaching and people leadership are among the most important skills managers can exercise in the face of increased adoption of AI. This was the case for 28% of participants based in Ireland, 21% in the UK, 18% in Germany and 15% in France.
“The high proportion of business leaders who value human-centred leadership is actually indicative of a high degree of AI maturity. Business leaders here understand that it is people, not AI, that will transform their organizations,” said Phil Codd, managing director for Ireland at Expleo.
AI transformation
Across all countries surveyed, we found that the most valued skill, on average, was the ability to integrate AI into workflows and drive change (25 percent). However, by comparison, people were less sure, especially in Ireland, where less than 20 per cent of skills shared this opinion.
There is also significant concern among Irish business leaders, with 45% concerned about how AI will transform their organizations, up from 43% since March. This concern is felt less strongly outside Ireland, with 41% of respondents in the UK and just 34% in France and Germany.
Codd said: “Organizations that will benefit the most from AI are those that invest in the human side, rather than those that are rushing to adopt AI. Ireland’s focus on empathy as a core management skill is not a reluctance to adopt AI, but rather a sophisticated understanding of what is actually needed to successfully implement it.”
Late last week, International Data Corporationin partnership with Dell Technologies, has released a new global study examining how European governments and public sector organizations are approaching sovereign and agent AI and what it will take to deploy the technology at scale.
The report finds that European public sector leaders are keen to accelerate modernization through agent AI. But efforts are hampered by gaps in the skills needed to effectively operate advanced technologies. Almost 70% of European public sector IT leaders surveyed said their current workforce cannot keep up with technological advances.
This was similar to a report published by an Irish technology consulting firm. AccentureAs a result, we found that for many employees, there is a disconnect between their expectations for AI outcomes and their level of readiness.
Commenting on the Accenture report’s findings, Hilary O’Meara, Accenture’s Country Managing Director in Ireland, said: “Ireland has all the ingredients to lead in the AI era: a skilled workforce, a proven public and private sector, deep links to the global technology industry and genuine national ambition. The question now is whether Irish business will play its part.”
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