Nearly half of Irish people say they have experimented with AI for personal use but are more hesitant to use it in the workplace – new Dye and Durham ‘Ireland Pulse Report’

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  • Just over four in ten workers (44%) expect AI to become important in their job over the next five years
  • Over half (58%) feel government agencies would benefit from incorporating more technology into their services
  • Irish consumers are generally more optimistic about the economy in the short term, but nearly half (48%) believe a recession is likely in the next year
  • More consumers (26% in Q4 2023 vs. 19% in Q3 2023) say they are in a better financial position than they were a year ago

 

Almost half of Irish people (44%) say they have experimented with AI or use it regularly for personal use, according to a new report by Dye & Durham, the leading provider of practice management solutions to legal professionals. The Dye & Durham Ireland Pulse Report for Q4 2023, a survey of 1,001 adults in Ireland conducted by YouGov, explores trends in technology, the economy and the property market.

 

While Irish consumers are embracing AI in their personal lives, they are more hesitant to use it in their professional lives, with 35% saying they have experimented with or regularly use AI for professional reasons. The remaining 65% say they have never used AI for professional use.

 

Despite hesitant adoption of AI for professional use, more than three quarters of Irish workers (79%) say technology plays an important or critical role in their day-to-day work. Nearly half (44%) expect AI to become important to the way they do their jobs in the next five years while less than a quarter (23%) are of the opposite opinion. Other technologies expected to emerge as key to their jobs include cloud computing (59% say it will be important), analytics (57%), and 5G (56%).

 

When it comes to technology’s role in the provision of government services, more than half (58%) of Irish consumers say government agencies would benefit from incorporating more technology into their services when asked to choose from a list. Similarly, 53% say the same of doctors / medical practitioners, while 44% and 38% say financial services and lawyers/conveyancers would benefit, respectively.

 

David Nash, Chief Product Officer at Dye & Durham, says: “We’re seeing an interesting adoption pattern when it comes to emerging technologies in Ireland. When it comes to AI, for example, there is broad recognition of its impact on the way we do our jobs, but people are taking an incremental approach to using it themselves, especially for professional purposes.”

“For our customers in the legal sector, this is a very important trend to watch. Their clients are engaging with new technologies and expecting them to take on a bigger role in their lives over time. That has clear implications for how legal services will be delivered in the future.”

 

Near-term economic outlook is positive but nearly half expect a recession in next 12 months

 

The Q4 2023 Ireland Pulse Report also reveals that Irish consumers have a generally positive economic outlook over the near term, with just over half (51%) saying they don’t expect a recession in the next six months. They are also more optimistic about their financial situations than they were in Q3 2023. More respondents (26%) say they’re in a better financial position than they were a year ago (vs. 19% who said the same in Q3 2023). At the same time, fewer respondents (39% in Q4 2023 vs. 48% in Q3 2023) say they are in a worse financial position than they were a year ago.

 

On the other hand, as they look further ahead, more consumers (48%) are expecting a recession in the next 12 months. But just 24% expect to be in a worse financial situation a year from now, and fewer (6% in Q4 2023 vs. 10% in Q3 2023) plan to hold off on property purchasing plans to wait for lower prices.

 

Martha Vallance, Chief Operating Officer at Dye & Durham, says: “Our Pulse Report for Q4 2023 shows encouraging signs when it comes to how Irish consumers are feeling about the economy as a whole. This is good news for small and medium-sized law firms who have been managing through reduced case volume. As consumer optimism grows, so too does the opportunity to capitalize on increased transaction activity. Forward-looking law firms who invest in operational efficiencies now stand to gain the most from these positive indicators.”