Over 60% of Irish CEOs have identified artificial intelligence as a top investment priority, a new survey shows.
The latest KPMG CEO Outlook report reveals that Irish business leaders remain broadly optimistic about the future of their organisations.
However, they are realistic about the wider pressures shaping the economy.
While 94% of Irish CEOs plan to add to headcount over next three years, their confidence in the Irish economy has dropped slightly to 80% - its lowest level since 2021.
"CEOs remain optimistic that Ireland is well placed to take advantage of major drivers of growth and opportunity in areas such as tech and AI, low carbon energy solutions and life sciences and this is reflected in our report," said Ryan McCarthy, Managing Partner, KPMG in Ireland.
"However, there are cautions around infrastructure and competitiveness which need to be addressed with more pace," he added.
The report shows that only 29% of those surveyed said they are on track for net zero by 2030 - less than half the global average.
61% of CEOs globally say they're on track, up from 51% last year.
"This suggests that while Irish CEOs acknowledge the importance of sustainability, factors such as better infrastructure planning and delivery will be needed to help close the confidence gap with their peers abroad," Mr McCarthy said.
"Ireland needs to shift to a low carbon future for many reasons including our exposure to fossil fuel dependency.
"The upside is the potential to reach our climate commitments earlier - but we need our planning environment to better reflect this urgency," he added.
