Despite the gap, the research found that almost 70pc of Irish executives have formal technology transformation strategies in place.
New research from the latest Forvis Mazars C-suite Barometer: Outlook 2026 report has found that while Irish organisations prioritise the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in long-term growth plans, in terms of investment, companies are lagging behind their global counterparts.
Professional services firm Forvis Mazars’ research examines the views, challenges and strategic priorities of today’s C-suite leaders globally. For the purpose of the study, data was collected from 3012 C-suite leaders, including from Ireland, between October and November of 2025.
What was discovered is that Irish businesses are “investing significantly less in AI than their global counterparts, even as they acknowledge it as critical to competitive advantage, indicating a potential competitive vulnerability”.
Of contributing Irish executives, 68pc have technology transformation plans in place, with AI of key importance; however, only 10pc said they allocate more than 20pc of their tech budget to AI. This falls short compared to the 15pc globally who allocate more. The research suggests this raises “important questions about whether Irish businesses can sustain competitive advantage without increasing investment”.
Commenting on the findings of the report, Liam McKenna, a partner at Forvis Mazars in Ireland, said: “Irish business leaders are convinced of AI’s importance and are moving fast to implement it. What is concerning is the investment gap.
“While they express the highest confidence in AI ROI among all technology investments, their budget allocation doesn’t live up to that. With Irish businesses investing at lower rates than global peers, they risk missing the opportunity AI brings and competitive vulnerability. Now is the time for boards to align their investment with their strategy.”
Generating jobs
Forvis Mazars’ data also highlighted the potential of AI to create future career opportunities for professionals in Ireland, with 44pc of participants reporting the creation of new roles around AI. Almost a quarter of leaders, however, did report job displacement. “This suggests a workforce in transition with skills evolving rather than disappearing, though it raises questions about reskilling, talent development and education pipeline readiness,” stated the research.
While three-quarters of participating Ireland-based leaders expressed their ethical and societal concerns around AI, they were found to still be open to the adoption of advanced technology. The report suggests that Irish businesses are grappling with responsible AI deployment, as they try to harness a competitive advantage while managing social and governance risks.
McKenna said: “The organisations that win in the next three to five years will be those that move decisively on AI investment while managing risk and ethical and societal concerns in parallel.
“Irish businesses must bridge the investment gap while building the infrastructure, skills and governance frameworks to support responsible AI adoption. This means stronger collaboration between business, education and government to unlock the full potential of AI as a competitive advantage.”
Last week (19 February) Irish-owned global professional services company Morgan McKinley published the findings of the 2026 Morgan McKinley Irish Salary Guide. As part of its research, the organisation highlighted how, while Ireland’s labour market is active, it is becoming far more disciplined in how it hires – that is to say that hiring and improved salaries are often being reserved for those with skills considered to be critical to delivery or risk management.
In the technology ecosystem, for example, the most in-demand roles were found to be positions in data engineering, cybersecurity analytics and risk specialisation, machine learning engineering and data science, AI auditing and AI ethics, automation and dev-ops. The report also said that new roles for AI auditors and ethicists have emerged as a response to regulatory frameworks.
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