AI expected to be positive influence on business, survey finds

Irish professionals are increasingly viewing artificial intelligence as a positive influence on their business, new research has found.
Research carried out for Samsung found a positive shift in perception towards the technology, with 80 per cent seeing AI as a disruptive technological advancement over the next five years, up from 68 per cent last year.
Using AI as a personal assistant, for financial management or learning a new skill were among the top benefits expected from using the technology.
Professionals also view the technology as essential in advancing their career in the near future, with 63 per cent saying it would be critical over the next 12 months, while 19 per cent viewed it as essential, particularly in IT and telecommunications, manufacturing and financial services
Most surveyed said the technology would make their jobs easier, with around 60 per cent saying it would allow them to automate mundane tasks and improve data analysis and insights, and streamlining communications by generating email responses and summarising reports and articles.
Laptops are still considered the most important device in the workplace to support AI use, followed by smartphones and tablets.
Email management and automated responses are top of the list of tools that could help improve productivity at work, with language translation and smart scheduling through AI-managed calendars and reminders also mentioned.
The research was carried out by 3Gem in August 2024, with 350 business professionals across Ireland questioned as part of the survey.