Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The biggest risk is that we will not get them on the transformational train, given that it will run with or without them and us, and that businesses will be unaware of the funding streams supports that may be available through LEOs, Skillnet and Enterprise Ireland. There are supports and funding in all of those Government agencies but the biggest threat is that people in the SME sector will not engage or feel AI does not have a role to play in their businesses. As we know, AI is not just for businesses that are technology based; it could also be used in the hospitality sector, for example. When I visited the team at CeADAR, it gave the example of its work in collaboration with Fáilte Ireland and local authorities. An anecdotal example is from County Kerry, where there is engagement with the various agencies - the LEO, the local authority and Fáilte Ireland - to work with the hospitality sector. I am not referring to working with the big hotel chains, because we all know they have got teams in place to do the work, but with the smaller independent hotels to determine how they can use AI technology to do the more gruelling parts of their jobs and help them to promote their businesses a little bit better. The focus is on ensuring we bring all of these kinds of business along.

To answer the Senator’s question more directly, the biggest risk is leaving these businesses behind such that they will not see how AI can actually help them.