This week Barry Phillips looks at the latest AI adoption figures in the US and draws conclusions for us here in Ireland and the UK.

Transcript:

Hello Humans!

And welcome to the podcast that aims to summarise each week in five minutes or less a key AI development relevant to the world of work. My name is Barry Phillips.

This week witnessed the publication of the 2025-Wharton AI-Adoption- Report.
This is an annual report first started in 2023. Among other things it aims to track the adoption of AI in the workplace over time.

Its findings are interesting but with a few caveats for us here.

First, those surveyed were in the US only. Secondly it’s a relatively small sample base of 800 organisations. Thirdly each organisation surveyed had 1,000 plus employees. So not at all representative of the typical employer across the pond here but useful nonetheless as a guide to what we can expect here at some point in the future. The US as we know is usually ahead of the UK and Ireland when it comes to the adoption of IT and AI and what they are doing now is often replicated by us albeit a few months and occasionally, years later.

The first key finding is this:  AI usage is now mainstream.

Enterprise leaders’ GenAI usage has surged over the course of these reports. Moving from tentative experimental use to use now integrated into core systems. In 2023 37% of those polled reported using GenAI at least weekly. By 2024 this had risen to 72%. This year’s Report states 82% are now using it weekly with almost 50% claiming to use it every day.

Adoption is broad in the practical, repeatable use cases supporting employees' productivity across functions. The most used are also the highest rated in performance (e.g. data analysis, document summarisation and document editing/ writing). Particular functions are also adopting specific use cases (e.g code writing for IT, employee recruitment/onboarding for HR and contract generation for Legal)

However, it’s the findings relating to the future that are perhaps of most interest:

+ Four out of five of those surveyed see GenAI investments paying off in about two to three years

+ 88% anticipate GenAI budget investments increasing in the next 12 months

+ About one third of GenAI technology budgets are being allocated to internal R&D, an indication that many enterprises are building custom capabilities for the future.

So, what do we take from all this? In short — the genie’s not just out of the bottle, it’s now sitting in the boardroom taking minutes. While the Wharton Report may be US-centric and a touch top-heavy in sample size, the direction of travel is crystal clear: GenAI isn’t a side project anymore, it’s infrastructure. Irish and UK employers might be a step or two behind, but the train is well and truly moving — and fast. The smart move now isn’t to ask if AI should be adopted, but how quickly you can get your people trained, your systems ready, and your risks managed before this becomes the new baseline for doing business.