Why Most Irish Businesses Are Still Playing It Safe With AI — And What It's Costing Them

When Lee Bristow, originally from Cape Town and now based in Ireland, speaks about AI adoption, he does not mince words. Most Irish businesses, he argues, are "dallying around in the shallow end" while the AI revolution reshapes industries worldwide. In this episode of Chatting GPT, host Mary Rose Lions of AI Institute (Ireland & UK) sits down with Bristow to explore why so many organisations are stuck—and what it will take to move them forward.

The Three Tiers of AI Adoption

Bristow identifies three distinct approaches to AI adoption that organisations are taking. The first group—the shallow-end dabblers—are using phrases like "lift and shift" or implementing generative AI in isolated parts of the business while citing concerns about risk. These organisations often blame regulation, particularly the EU AI Act, for their hesitation.

The second group takes a strategic lens. They identify specific parts of their business where AI can deliver the biggest wins and invest deeply in retooling processes to meet objectives. They may not have the largest budgets, but they spend strategically and go deep where it matters.

The third group goes all in. Bristow points to Box, the US file-storage company, as an exemplar of the AI-first approach. Box has retooled every process from the ground up, embedding AI throughout their operations rather than treating it as an add-on.

The Shadow AI Crisis

One of Bristow's most striking observations concerns the prevalence of shadow AI. Up to 78% of employees globally are using AI tools whether permitted or not. This creates serious risks: GDPR violations, data exfiltration, and compliance failures that organisations may not even know are happening.

"Leadership and culture determine which tier a company lands in," Bristow notes. Without board-level AI strategy, governance, and proper tooling such as Microsoft Copilot, shadow AI proliferates. Employees turn to consumer AI tools because they do not have approved alternatives—and organisations have no visibility into what data is being processed or where it goes.

The Cost of Caution

Bristow warns that the shallow-end dabblers risk a Blackberry-style obsolescence. Just as Blackberry failed to adapt to the smartphone revolution, organisations that delay meaningful AI adoption may find themselves overtaken by competitors who moved faster.

The EU AI Act is often cited as a barrier to innovation, but Bristow suggests this is largely an excuse. Organisations that want to adopt AI strategically can do so within regulatory frameworks. The Act provides guardrails, not roadblocks—and organisations that use it as a reason for inaction are revealing their own lack of strategic clarity.

The Path to AI-First

For Irish businesses, the message is clear: sitting out the AI revolution is not an option. The question is not whether to adopt AI, but how deeply and how strategically. The organisations that thrive will be those that move beyond shallow experimentation to genuine transformation.

AI Institute (Ireland & UK) delivers AI strategy for leadership teams, EU AI Act readiness programmes, and AI adoption workshops that help organisations move from shallow experimentation to strategic or AI-first maturity. This episode directly supports the Institute's Copilot training and AI governance offerings.

Want the full conversation? Watch the Chatting GPT episode on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfbYMsV2vKQ