Nine in 10 (90%) Irish executives anticipate a medium to high impact to their organisation’s business processes in the next three years as a direct result of generative AI chatbots, with almost two in five (39%) reporting it as transformational change, according to Accenture’s annual Technology Vision Report for 2024.
Accenture’s Technology Vision 2024: “Human by Design: How AI Unleashes the Next Level of Human Potential”, which is run across 20 countries and 21 industries, revealed that 97% of Irish executives agree that the capabilities of AI are expanding, moving from assisting to acting independently. Almost all, 99%, of executives agree that making technology “more human” will massively expand the opportunities of every industry.
The findings reveal that while Ireland is making strides alongside its global counterparts when it comes to technologies such as AI and Gen AI, Irish businesses have been slower to adopt other technologies and trends featured in the report, such as spatial computing and body sensing technologies. While 84% of Irish executives agree that spatial computing will be used to build enriching experiences, providing a realistic alternative or enhancement to in-person experiences, a higher 92% globally believe this to be the case.
Consumers are even further behind in terms of adopting spatial computing, with only 36% saying that they would be interested in it to learn and develop new skills and less than three in 10 (29%) interested in using it to shop, compared to an only slightly higher 33% globally. Spatial computing blends digital content with the physical world in natural way. Virtual reality (VR) is a type of spatial computing.
When it comes to body sensing technologies, while it is clear that the technology has the capability to be transformative, with AI-powered wearables, brain-sensing neurotech and eye and movement tracking, there is some concern around the ethics. 66% of Irish consumers agree that in order to gain trust, organisations will need to develop responsible guidelines on biometric privacy and neurotech ethics and standards.
Austin Boyle, Head of Technology at Accenture in Ireland commented on the findings: “Irish businesses have been leveraging AI at scale for some time now and continue to see its value as it becomes even more “human”. That said, what we are seeing amongst our clients, is that as a country we are still behind when it comes to the adoption of cloud in Ireland, which in turn is inhibiting the integration of other innovative technologies, including Gen AI.
“By fully adopting cloud and Gen AI, we can lay the foundations for the next wave of AI technologies that can be leveraged by Irish businesses, which include spatial computing and body sensing technologies. Globally, spatial computing mediums have already begun to close the physical-digital divide to enable simultaneous activities in multiple spaces and body sensing technologies are raising the bar when it comes to understanding people’s behaviours and intentions, making it particularly useful for customer service of the future.
“In order to gain a competitive advantage, Irish businesses must prioritise integration and adoption early and receive training from the C-suite down, to fully capitalise on the new technologies which have the potential to completely revolutionise Irish business. We are excited to see the opportunities that will present themselves once organsations heed to this.”
Further findings from Accenture’s Technology Vision Report 2024 revealed:
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99% of Irish executives agree that generative AI will compel their organisation to modernise its technology architecture.
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98% of Irish executives agree that AI agents will begin to collaborate with other agents to accomplish organisational tasks.
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99% of Irish executives agree that leveraging AI agent ecosystems will be a significant opportunity for their organisation in the next 3 years.
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100% of Irish executives agree that the way we interact with data will change, from searching for information to asking questions and receiving direct advice and answers.