“I think we lag in adoption. I don’t think we lag in ambition”
Irish business leaders are increasingly convinced that AI agents — autonomous systems capable of analysing information, making decisions and taking action — will reshape the workplace more profoundly than the internet did. Yet despite that conviction, adoption remains stubbornly slow.
In this episode of The Tech Agenda, Ian Kehoe explores the findings of PwC Ireland’s new survey on AI agents, speaking with Robert Byrne, Technology Data & AI Partner at PwC Ireland, and Laoise Mullane, Director and AI Adoption Lead in PwC’s Workforce Advisory practice. Together, they unpack the contradiction at the heart of Agentic AI among Irish businesses: soaring ambition on one side, cautious adoption on the other.
Byrne explains how Irish organisations are starting with back-office productivity gains but have yet to take the bigger leap toward rethinking process and operating model transformation. Mullane highlights the workforce dimension — the trust gaps, the mindset barriers and the cultural unease that arise when technology begins to act rather than simply assist.
The Tech Agenda with Ian Kehoe podcast series is sponsored by PwC.
