As 2026 gets underway, Northern Ireland stands at a pivotal point in its artificial intelligence (AI) journey. Early experimentation and growing awareness have laid important foundations, but the next challenge is moving from isolated pilots to widespread, responsible adoption. This next phase will determine whether AI becomes a true driver of productivity, competitiveness and long-term economic resilience.
The Artificial Intelligence Collaboration Centre (AICC), a £16.3m initiative funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for the Economy, is supporting this transition. Led by Ulster University in partnership with Queen’s University Belfast, the AICC brings together research, business support, training, education and policy expertise to accelerate AI adoption across the region.
Here, AICC’s experts share their outlook for AI in Northern Ireland in 2026, exploring the barriers that must be overcome, the technologies shaping the next wave of innovation and the skills and governance needed to support a thriving AI ecosystem.
Structural Barriers and the Innovation Imperative
David Crozier CBE, Director
The recently published Anthropic Economic Index Report offers the most detailed insight yet into how AI is being deployed in practice. By analysing real-world usage, task complexity and productivity impacts, it provides the clearest picture of where AI is delivering value and where barriers persist.
Applying this methodology locally, AICC analysis suggests Northern Ireland could unlock between £370 million and £640 million in additional Gross Value Added over the next decade. Realising that potential, however, depends on addressing several structural challenges.
Data readiness remains one of the most significant barriers. Many organisations lack the data quality, governance and infrastructure required to deploy AI effectively. This is often compounded by a leadership maturity gap, where boards underestimate the scale of investment needed or expect immediate returns without sustained capability-building.
The strongest signal from the data is that organisations succeed with AI when their people know how to use it well. This insight underpins the AICC’s focus on education, skills development and the creation of practical resources.
The shift now required is from experimentation to transformation. That means honest assessments of data readiness, sustained investment in people, and governance frameworks that enable innovation rather than restrict it. AI’s future in Northern Ireland will be defined not by access to tools alone, but by the systems, skills and mindsets built around them.
Agentic AI and the Rise of Human Imagination
Donnacha Kirk, Deputy Director, AI Technology & Research Services
Looking ahead, 2026 could be the year Northern Ireland’s innovation ecosystem truly comes together, not as isolated organisations, but as a connected research and development community.
For SMEs in particular, collaborative R&D is essential. It provides access to cutting-edge expertise, spreads risk and accelerates the journey from pilot to productive deployment. The scale of AI’s economic impact will depend on how effectively organisations collaborate.
One of the most significant developments last year was the emergence of agentic AI. Tools such as Anthropic’s Claude Code and new AI assistant interfaces now go far beyond conversational chatbots. These systems can autonomously complete complex tasks over extended periods, from writing code and drafting reports to organising files and extracting insights, before returning to humans for oversight.
This shift has profound implications. Knowing how to do the work is becoming less critical than knowing what work is worth doing. Human judgement, creativity and experience remain essential, particularly when validating outputs and correcting course.
We are also seeing organisations question traditional software models. Rather than paying for broad SaaS platforms, some businesses are exploring whether AI agents can replicate only the functionality they need. That shift demands internal capability, clear governance and a realistic understanding of risk.
Through the AICC’s Transformer Programme, we’re working directly with over 100 SMEs who are actively exploring these questions, building the confidence and capability needed to adopt AI imaginatively and responsibly. Those investing now will be the organisations shaping their sectors in the years ahead.
Responsible AI: Moving from Awareness to Assurance
Tadhg Hickey, Head of AI & Digital Ethics Policy
Northern Ireland’s AI journey is entering a phase where assurance must match ambition.
Early excitement around AI has been valuable in building awareness and stimulating debate. But as more organisations deploy AI in live environments, the focus must shift to ensuring systems are safe, accountable and fit for purpose over time.
This is particularly important given Northern Ireland’s dual market context. Many businesses operate across both UK and EU jurisdictions, each with different governance expectations. The UK’s principles-based approach contrasts with the EU AI Act’s phased regulatory obligations, affecting compliance, procurement and product development.
For SMEs, trust will become a key differentiator. Customers, partners and regulators increasingly expect evidence that AI systems are ethical, explainable and legally compliant. In this context, assurance becomes the bridge between innovation and market access.
The AICC’s Responsible AI Hub was created to support this shift, offering open-access tools including risk assessments, governance frameworks and policy templates. The next challenge is embedding these principles into everyday practice, ensuring responsible AI is not a tick-box exercise but a core organisational capability.
If Northern Ireland invests in assurance now, it has the opportunity to lead not just in AI adoption, but in trusted, responsible innovation.
Bridging the AI Skills Divide
Geraldine Doherty, Training & Academic Coordinator
For Northern Ireland to fully realise AI’s potential, skills gaps must be addressed at every level.
The first is foundational AI literacy. Many professionals use generative tools such as ChatGPT or Copilot, but lack understanding of data fundamentals, workflow redesign or verification techniques. Imagination is critical, but it must be grounded in practical knowledge.
The second gap sits at middle management level. While senior leaders set strategy and technical teams explore implementation, team leads and managers are often responsible for embedding AI into operations. They play a vital role in maintaining human oversight and ensuring AI augments, rather than replaces, human judgement.
The third gap relates to responsible implementation. Strong uptake of the Responsible AI Hub shows appetite for guidance, but ethical principles must now be embedded across all learning pathways.
The AICC is addressing these challenges through its AI Learning Lab, launching in February 2026 with online learning pathways to support training for more than 3,000 individuals. Alongside this, 390 funded postgraduate scholarships are building a long-term talent pipeline, including new programmes such as the MSc in Ethical & Responsible AI at Ulster University and the MSc in Robotics & AI at Queen’s University Belfast.
These investments are already delivering impact, with over 60 graduates in-market and many more to follow, developing not just technical skills, but the leadership and judgement needed to guide AI adoption responsibly.
READ MORE: Northern Ireland Takes the Lead in Responsible AI with New AICC Hub
Time to Scale with Purpose
As Northern Ireland enters its next chapter of AI adoption, the time for small-scale experimentation is giving way to strategic, evidence-led implementation.
This means investing in data readiness, developing internal capability, embedding ethical assurance and, above all, collaborating across the ecosystem. The risks of inaction are real, but the opportunities for those who lead responsibly are greater still.
In 2026 and beyond, AI will not only reshape how we work, but redefine what success looks like. With the right ecosystem in place, Northern Ireland is well positioned to lead that transformation.
Discover more about the AICC at aicc.co and follow them on LinkedIn for updates.
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