Harnessing AI to boost Northern Ireland’s productivity. Implications for people, business, and government
Year: 2026
Type: report
Abstract: Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to boost productivity and drive economic growth. In this report, we examine whether AI can help Northern Ireland close its persistent productivity gap. The answer ultimately depends on how AI affects the key drivers of productivity in the region. To this end, we assess the implications of AI for skills and training, for businesses, and for the Northern Ireland Executive. We find its workforce is more concentrated in occupations and sectors which have low productivity and are more exposed to AI. The ability to strengthen Northern Ireland’s drivers of productivity growth will therefore determine whether AI leads to a productivity convergence or a continuation of poor performance. We conclude that an effective AI strategy for Northern Ireland should help people and businesses adopt AI, place AI at the heart of public sector transformation, and offer forward-looking, productivity-focused guidance on AI adoption.
Institutions: University of Manchester, The Productivity Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7159898809