There has been an increase in the number of businesses in Ireland using artificial intelligence (AI), according to a new report from the Central Statistics Office.
The figures show that more than 15% of all enterprises used AI in 2024, compared with 8% in 2023.
The most common types of AI used were for natural language generation and data mining.
Among large enterprises, companies with 250 or more people employed, more than half used AI, with 30% using it for automated workflows or decision making and 28% for data mining.
The CSO study of digitalisation among Irish businesses shows that 12% of enterprises experienced an unavailability of ICT services in 2024 from either an unintentional cause or an intentional attack, while 2% experienced a destruction or corruption of data, and 2% experienced a disclosure of confidential data.
For small businesses, those with 10 – 49 employees, 38% had internet sales last year.
When it comes to medium enterprises, 50 -249 employees, 51% had internet sales.
For large enterprises, the figure is 54%.
More than four in ten enterprises paid to advertise on the internet in 2024, with nearly a quarter using targeted advertising based on webpage content or users’ keyword searches.
There was a wide range of fixed broadband speeds in Ireland in 2024, with 25% of enterprises having less than 100 Mbps, 27% having between 100 and 500 Mbps, and 34% having broadband faster than 500 Mbps.
“The 2024 results reflect the continued increase in the online presence among enterprises in Ireland and their use of data and technology,” said Devin Zibulsky, Statistician at the CSO’s Enterprise Statistics Division.
“The 2024 survey included questions on internet access and usage, e-commerce, ICT security, and artificial intelligence,” Mr Zibulsky said.
Digital Business Ireland, the national association for the digital sector, said the figures show that e-commerce sales are now a major driver of the Irish economy.
“Today’s findings also highlight the growing importance of AI to Irish business,” said Digital Business Ireland spokesperson DP Fitzgerald.
“While the past week has seen fresh debate on the global regulation of AI, there’s equally a need for more debate on how Governments can support businesses to better harness the productive potential of AI,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
