AI Ireland with Mark Kelly E216 'AI Transformation: Skills, Trends and the Irish Workforce' with Microsoft's Kieran McCorry
Oct 9, 2025
Kieran McCorry, National Technology Officer at Microsoft Ireland, dives into how AI is transforming the workplace. He discusses the uneven adoption of AI across levels and genders, revealing that senior leaders harness it more due to top-down approaches. Kieran highlights the importance of practical AI training from employers, emphasizing that workers seek accessible resources. He explains how AI tools like Copilot enhance focus and productivity while reshaping job roles and boosting career acceleration, warning that employees will move on if workplaces lag in AI adoption.
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AI Skills Drive Career Prospects
- Half of Irish workers view AI skills as a career catalyst and adoption is rising year-over-year.
- Lacking AI competence will likely limit future career prospects.
Top-Down Deployment Creates Usage Gaps
- Generative AI rollout in companies often targets senior leaders first, creating a usage gap across levels.
- Demand signals come top-down so frontline workers see less access and adoption.
Prescribe Use Cases For Managers
- Be prescriptive about how middle managers should use AI by providing specific deployment playbooks.
- Identify a small set of clear use cases so managers can adopt AI without extra cognitive load.