Ireland: AI in enterprises

Ireland, 2025: 20% of enterprises with 10 or more persons employed used at least one AI technology. This corresponds to 2:21 on the AI clock. The EU average was 20%.

Compare interactively
CountryIreland
Year2025
12369 AI in enterprises Year2025 Time2:21 20 %
AT A GLANCE / 2025

Three things to know

  1. In 2025, 20% of enterprises with 10 or more employees in Ireland used at least one AI technology. In the 2024 survey, the share was 15%; because the question changed, the comparison is only partly valid.
  2. That is about the EU average (20%).
  3. Large enterprises (250+ employees) use AI 3.4 times as often as small ones (10–49): 57% compared with 17%.

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026 · Why other figures differ

ANALYSIS / 2025

AI statistics. With context.

Ireland · 2025

Key figures for your selected country and year, with the relevant comparison group. This analysis follows your selection on the chronograph. Compare enterprise sizes →

01 / AI ADOPTION19.6%

Share of enterprises using at least one AI technology. Focus: Ireland, survey year 2025.

02 / GAP TO THE EU-0.3 PP

Ireland compared with the published EU figure of 20.0% in 2025. The gap is measured in percentage points.

03 / Pace in minutes per yearBreak in series

The surveys are only partly comparable. We therefore do not calculate a pace for this period.

OVER TIME

Each survey is a snapshot.

The bars show published shares for each survey year. Years without a survey are left blank.

EU averageIreland

* Break relative to an earlier survey. From 2025 the survey includes additional AI technologies. Exact values and flags are in the data table.

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector

Why AI statistics can differ.

Who was counted?

The data cover enterprises with 10 or more persons employed. Surveys of microbusinesses or individual workers cover different groups. Comparisons also need to account for the economic activities covered.

What was asked?

Use of at least one AI technology, generative AI and AI use at work are different indicators. Internet and cloud adoption remain separate series here.

Survey or forecast?

An AI adoption survey is not a forecast of the AI market. The publication date is not necessarily the survey year. Comparisons require the same measurement basis.

Detailed figures and sources
AI adoption: Ireland and EU — published observations up to the selected year
YearEU averageIrelandComparability notes
20217.65 %7.88 %Published observation
20238.06 %8.01 %Published observation
202413.48 %14.90 %Published observation
202519.95 %19.64 %Break in series

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector

Data retrieved: November 7, 2026. Missing values are shown as a dash and are not estimated.

Cite the figure and its source

Eurostat: Ireland, 2025: 19.64% of the enterprises covered used at least one AI technology. Dataset isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026, retrieved November 7, 2026. Presentation: AIpace.eu.

Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector · When reusing a figure, include the year, population and primary source.

Open the Eurostat dataset
BY ENTERPRISE SIZE / 2025

Three sizes. Three perspectives.

Ireland · 2025

One country figure does not tell the whole story. Compare AI adoption in small, medium and large enterprises — for the same year and using the same definition.

EU averageIreland
01

Small enterprises

10–49 persons employed

16.8 %

EU average: 17.0 %Ireland: 16.8 %

02

Medium-sized enterprises

50–249 persons employed

28.0 %

EU average: 30.4 %Ireland: 28.0 %

03

Large enterprises

250+ persons employed

57.3 %

EU average: 55.0 %Ireland: 57.3 %

From 2025, the survey also covers AI that generates images, video or audio. Results are therefore only partly comparable with earlier years.

Flags for each size class are shown in the table. Missing values are not estimated.

All size classes as a table
Ireland · 2025 · Eurostat isoc_eb_ai
Size classEU averageIrelandData & methodology
Small enterprises17.0 %16.8 %Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10–49 persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance
size_emp=10-49
Medium-sized enterprises30.4 %28.0 %Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 50–249 persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance
size_emp=50-249
Large enterprises55.0 %57.3 %Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 250+ persons employed, covered economic activities excluding agriculture, mining and finance
size_emp=GE250
BY SECTOR / 2025

AI use by sector

Share of enterprises with 10 or more employees using at least one AI technology, by economic activity, survey 2025. Ordered by activity, not by value.

  • Manufacturing

    Ireland 18 %EU27 17 %

  • Energy, water and waste

    Ireland 11 %EU27 18 %

  • Construction

    Ireland 9 %EU27 11 %

  • Trade and motor vehicle repair

    Ireland 13 %EU27 19 %

  • Transport and storage

    Ireland 17 %EU27 11 %

  • Accommodation and food services

    Ireland 14 %EU27 12 %

  • Information and communication

    Ireland 60 %EU27 63 %

  • Real estate

    Ireland 19 %EU27 25 %

  • Professional, scientific and technical services

    Ireland 32 %EU27 40 %

  • Administrative and support services

    Ireland 26 %EU27 20 %

Eurostat does not publish some country values, for example for confidentiality; they appear as “no data”. Each sector is its own population.

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ain2, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more employees in each economic activity (NACE Rev. 2)

USE IN DETAIL / 2025

What with, what for – and what holds back

Which AI technologies enterprises use, what they use them for and why others do not, survey 2025. Each column has its own population.

What with: AI technologies

% of all enterprises with 10 or more employees

  • Analysing text (text mining)

    Ireland 11 %EU27 12 %

  • Generating images, video or sound

    Ireland 6 %EU27 10 %

  • Generating text, speech or code

    Ireland 9 %EU27 9 %

  • Speech recognition

    Ireland 6 %EU27 7 %

Show 4 more

  • Automating workflows, supporting decisions

    Ireland 6 %EU27 5 %

  • Machine learning for data analysis

    Ireland 6 %EU27 5 %

  • Image recognition

    Ireland 3 %EU27 4 %

  • Autonomous movement of machines

    Ireland 1 %EU27 1 %

What for: areas of use

% of enterprises using AI

  • Marketing or sales

    Ireland 27 %EU27 35 %

  • Administration and management

    Ireland 39 %EU27 31 %

  • Accounting, controlling, finance

    Ireland 23 %EU27 23 %

  • Production

    Ireland 16 %EU27 21 %

Show 3 more

  • ICT security

    Ireland 27 %EU27 20 %

  • Research, development, innovation

    Ireland 27 %EU27 19 %

  • Logistics

    Ireland 7 %EU27 6 %

What holds back: reasons against AI

% of enterprises not using AI

Of the enterprises not using AI, 14 % had ever considered using it (EU27).

  • Lack of expertise

    Ireland no dataEU27 10 %

  • Unclear legal consequences

    Ireland no dataEU27 8 %

  • Data protection and privacy concerns

    Ireland no dataEU27 7 %

  • Required data missing or of low quality

    Ireland no dataEU27 6 %

Show 4 more

  • Incompatible with existing systems

    Ireland no dataEU27 6 %

  • Costs seem too high

    Ireland no dataEU27 5 %

  • Ethical considerations

    Ireland no dataEU27 3 %

  • Not useful for the enterprise

    Ireland no dataEU27 3 %

Multiple answers possible, so a column does not add up to 100%. Values unchanged from the Eurostat survey.

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026

Time series: Ireland and EU average

YearIrelandAS A TIME OF DAYEU average
20217.9 %0:577.7 %
20238.0 %0:588.1 %
202414.9 %1:4713.5 %
202519.6 % · break in series2:2120.0 %

Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai, last updated June 15, 2026
Enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, all activities except agriculture, mining and the financial sector

From 2025, the survey also covers AI that generates images, video or audio. Results are therefore only partly comparable with earlier years.

All 27 EU countries