By Professor Kristel Miller, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Ulster University and Principal Investigator of EPIC Futures NI, a Local Policy Innovation Partnership.
Artificial intelligence could change work rapidly across many sectors. In Northern Ireland, some firms are already redesigning services and jobs around it. Others are experimenting without much guidance. Buying a tool will not, by itself, make an organisation ready to use it well.
For me, the challenge is whether leaders can build the skills, trust and workplace culture that allow people to assess AI’s value and use it well. We must also avoid creating new inequalities. That means building capability across the wider economy and society.
The gap between awareness and opportunity
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Our new EPIC Futures NI report, Artificial Intelligence in Northern Ireland: Public Awareness, AI Skills and Barriers to Adoption, draws on responses from 1,244 adults to the 2025 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey. Nearly everyone had heard of AI (98.6%), yet only 58.4% said they understood it well. 43.1% selected none of the forms of AI use listed in the survey.
There was strong interest in learning AI. 67.7% agreed that learning to use AI will be essential for most jobs within five years, and 51.9% wanted to learn more. Yet only 18.6% had undertaken AI learning in the previous year. One in four (26.1%) did not know where to learn. Cost and finding time alongside work were also common barriers.
These barriers are uneven. Lack of confidence in digital skills was reported by 29.8% of respondents with no qualifications and 30.7% of those permanently sick or disabled, compared with 13.3% of degree holders and 12.0% of people in full-time work. Cost was a barrier for 35.3% of 18–24year-olds and 34.5% of those seeking work.
Expectations about future work also differed. Overall, 55.4% anticipated needing AI knowledge, rising to 64.1% among degree holders but falling to 39.2% among people with no qualifications and 30.5% among those permanently sick or disabled. We cannot tell why individuals answered as they did. But a general invitation to “upskill” may miss people without access to workplace training. We need to make AI’s relevance tangible without assuming every role requires the same skills. We should also listen to concerns that AI might make services less personal or harder to access.
Culture determines what happens at work
The survey also shows why trust matters. Around half saw potential for AI to improve productivity, but 71.2% thought it would reduce the number of jobs. Concern about personal data (84.2%) and unfair or morally wrong decisions (80.5%) was widespread. Leaders must address these concerns to build trust.
The 2025 Working in Ireland Survey shows AI is already part of working life: 26.1% of Northern Ireland workers intentionally used generative AI at work. Among employees using it, only 37.7% had received or were receiving employer-provided training, and just 36.5% worked in organisations with official guidance. Yet 84.1% considered human oversight important. The gap between use and support raises practical questions about data security and governance.
This is a leadership issue. Staff need to judge where AI improves a task, when human judgement is essential and how to check an output. Employees should help shape these decisions since they know where processes break down. As organisations consider AI systems that can take actions on their behalf, they will also need clear accountability when those actions cause harm.
Northern Ireland’s draft AI Strategy provides a useful foundation. The priority now is funded action that addresses concerns about trust, security and governance. Moving quickly and acting responsibly need not be a trade-off. Clear safeguards can give organisations confidence to adopt AI. Delaying action is also a choice that risks leaving businesses and workers less prepared and may putNorthern Ireland’s competitiveness at risk.
Elsewhere in the UK, Scotland’s 2026 AI Strategy sets out an adoption programme for smaller firms, an AI Leadership Academy and a panel to assess workforce impacts. NHS England is expanding access to AI tools for staff, while the UK Government has published an AI playbook for public bodies. Northern Ireland needs to act with similar urgency and make sure people across the economy can take part.
The potential gains should be judged alongside their effects on workers and inclusion. In our EPIC Futures NI survey, only around three in ten thought AI would help workplaces accommodate people currently excluded from the workforce. The Working in Ireland Survey suggests that some Northern Ireland GenAI users are seeing substantial time savings and improvements in their work, while others report more intense work. These findings are based on small groups, but they underline why job design and workload matter if AI is to improve working lives.
A healthy AI culture gives staff time to learn, permission to question results and guidance on protecting data and seeking human review. Managers should involve employees when redesigning roles. Governance should match the consequences of each use, with lower-risk tasks needing basic checks. Decisions affecting jobs or access to services require stronger safeguards. Large organisations can draw on legal, security and compliance teams that many smaller businesses cannot. If each company must devise complex agreements and assurance processes alone, adoption may become concentrated among those with the most resources. Shared guidance and access to expertise would help smaller firms adopt safely.
Make inclusion part of delivery
The draft AI strategy’s emphasis on literacy, oversight, fairness and accountability is positive and should guide delivery. The test will be how quickly funded actions follow, which should be accompanied by detailed evaluation showing who participates and benefits. Training totals alone will not reveal whether opportunities reach people with lower qualifications, disabled people, those outside work or employees in smaller firms.
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Our report recommends a free, accessible foundation offer in AI literacy, alongside trusted routes to further learning and options suited to different jobs and circumstances. That foundation should help people use AI critically, check its outputs and understand when to protect information or seek human judgement. Workplace learning matters, but people outside work need a route in too.
For me, leadership on AI means reaching people who cannot yet see its value or a practical way to use it. Northern Ireland needs to move quickly and responsibly. Building AI literacy, trust and organisational capability will help people and businesses use AI where it adds value, question it where it does not, and manage the risks.
Further reading: Miller, K., Rawat, S. and Cavanagh, M. (2026), Artificial Intelligence in Northern Ireland: Public Awareness, AI Skills and Barriers to Adoption (EPIC Futures NI). Read the full report via EPIC Futures NI and explore the EPIC Futures NI website.
Other sources: Working in Ireland Survey 2025; Scotland’s AI Strategy 2026–2031; NHS England AI rollout; UK Government AI Playbook; Northern Ireland’s draft AI Strategy.
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