Expleo’s AI Pulse shows significant wobble in AI confidence levels

Expleo, the global technology and consulting service provider, has announced the results of it’s AI Pulse sentiment tracker for Ireland. The June data reveals a significant change in the perception of AI – including the risks and benefits that come with it – among business leaders in Ireland, when compared to May data. These changes include a marked fall in the proportion of business leaders who trust their organisations to use AI ethically – dropping from 73% to 62% in just one month. The average across other markets surveyed was 72%.

Expleo’s monthly AI Pulse barometer is carried out by Opinium among 800 business leaders in Ireland, the UK, Germany and France. The June research indicates wide-ranging apprehension, as 57% expressed concern about how AI is transforming their organisation – up from 48% in May. And, the proportion of business leaders who believe AI is primarily a benefit to their business fell from 64% in May to 51% in June. Now, 23% in Ireland are struggling to get excited about AI adoption in their business, compared to an average of 18% across other markets surveyed.

Despite the concerns, Expleo found that 64% of business leaders in Ireland are confident in their organisation’s ability to use AI successfully. This could explain why overall, the AI Pulse sentiment tracker shows a score of 65 out of 100 for confidence in AI in June, down just one point from 66 in May.

Additionally, the research shows that business leaders in Ireland are torn about what the impact on their day-to-day work would be if AI was no longer there. When asked what would happen if AI tools were no longer available, 20% said their work would become more stressful, while 21% believe it would become more complicated. Conversely, 18% believe their work would become less stressful without AI, while 20% believe it would become less complicated.

A further 16% say they would not have enough time to complete their work without AI, 8% believe they would be unable to carry out their role altogether, and 18% say it would make no difference.

Phil Codd, Managing Director – Ireland, Expleo, said: “Our data from June demonstrates exactly why we are tracking AI sentiment in Ireland month-by-month. As we all know, it is a fast-changing technology that is having a profound impact on businesses. On top of that, highly publicised news and events involving some of the world’s largest AI companies can have huge sway on people’s perceptions. It will be interesting to see how this may play out in our AI barometer going forward.

“In truth, there are people in every organisation who may not trust AI. Much like how we are approaching cybersecurity, CIOs must have a similar approach to AI. It is only with the right, robust governance and assurance in place that they can reassure their leadership teams and people that their AI is not only safe, but it has real value for each individual, too.”

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