Accenture finds employees increasingly believe reskilling is unavoidable, yet many are being asked to use new technologies without the required training.
Artificial intelligence has, for many employees, become a staple of the workplace. It can make laborious tasks less time consuming, create opportunities for more fulfilling work and inform decision making via data generation and analytics.
Employers too have begun to depend on AI, as many organisations, for better or worse, are leaning on artificial intelligence as a means of cost cutting and optimising efficiency. However, as indicated in a recent report from Irish technology consulting company Accenture, there is a growing disconnect between AI expectation and the level of preparedness among employees.
Accenture’s new report, Generating Impact: Turning frontier AI capabilities into frontline productivity and growth in Ireland, explored how AI, while rapidly becoming a part of everyday work in Ireland, is still at an early stage in how it uses AI to transform how work is completed.
To gather the data, Accenture surveyed 2,085 employees across the UK and Ireland in February and March 2026. The sample was balanced across genders, spanning a wide age range, with around 30pc under the age of 35. Accenture also surveyed 510 business executives across the UK and Ireland, from mid-market and large enterprises.
What Accenture found is that there is a significant gap between the speed of individual adoption and businesses making the changes that are needed to wield AI effectively. The report argued that without a “targeted investment in skills, workflow redesign and stronger core systems, Ireland could struggle to fully realise the productivity and growth benefits of AI”.
Unclear direction
Data suggests that while employees are enthusiastic about AI, there is demand for increased training and clarity. 70pc of contributing participants said AI and new technologies have the power to make their jobs better. However, more than three in five expect to reskill as AI changes how they work, almost half say they have been expected to use new technology which they haven’t been trained on and 39pc feel unprepared to work alongside AI tools or systems in their field.
The lack of confidence and knowledge in the area of AI is not isolated to individual employees, noted the report. While 44pc of participating Irish business leaders said they are investing in reskilling and redeployment pathways, many contributors were found to still lack the basics needed to scale.
One-quarter of employers admitted that employees don’t have clear guidance on when or how to use AI tools and agents and only 35pc of Irish business leaders have conducted a formal AI skills audit. Additionally, shadow AI, which is the unofficial use of unsanctioned AI, is also a persistent issue, as 30pc of employees report sourcing tools independently.
The return on investment for organisations, in relation to AI, is also open to interpretation, as despite two out of five participating Irish business leaders reporting cost reductions linked to AI, the overall value capture is still inconsistent, as 72pc of Irish executives said at least some of their AI budget is wasted. More than one-third said AI has delivered little to no positive impact on profit and loss so far.
The report said, “Looking ahead, readiness for agentic AI remains low, 54pc of executives say their organisation is not ready to integrate AI agents with core enterprise systems. Executives identify data security (37pc) and regulatory concerns (32pc) among the biggest barriers to scaling AI, alongside shortages of skilled talent (26pc).
Commenting on the findings, Hilary O’Meara, the country managing director, for Accenture in Ireland, said: “Ireland has all the ingredients to lead in the age of AI, a skilled workforce, a public and private sector proven to deliver, deep connections with the global technology industry and genuine national ambition. Now the question is whether Irish business will play its part.
“AI will reshape roles, skills, and career paths across every sector. Leaders must invest in their people as much as they invest in technology, building the confidence and capability that turn AI from a powerful tool into a way of working. That makes sustained investment in learning and training essential. The organisations that will thrive are those that embed AI into how they work, not just the tools they use.”
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