Irish firms are falling behind peers worldwide on cyber risk, AI defence and quantum security, according to the PwC 2027 Global Digital Trust Insights Survey. The study highlights gaps in risk integration, incident-response testing and emerging-technology safeguards that could hinder the country’s digital resilience.
Cyber risk still outside core risk management
Only 17% of Irish business and information-security leaders say cyber risk is firmly embedded in their enterprise risk-management processes, versus 41% globally. The disparity suggests many Irish boards treat cyber threats as a peripheral issue rather than a strategic concern.
Incident-response readiness shows a similar shortfall. Just 23% of Irish respondents strongly agree that their organisations regularly conduct realistic breach-simulation exercises, compared with 41% of companies worldwide. The gap leaves firms less practiced in containing attacks when they occur.
In a statement, Leonard McAuliffe, Partner for Cybersecurity & Privacy at PwC Ireland, noted that “closing this gap can support clearer ownership and better-informed investment decisions as organisations respond to fast-moving threats.” He added that embedding cyber resilience in C-suite decision-making is essential for confidence in AI-driven initiatives.
Other risk-management findings show 51% of Irish firms intend to tighten third-party and supply-chain oversight in the next year, while 84% of global leaders expect cyber budgets to rise in 2027. These figures show a growing appetite for investment even as readiness lags.
AI adoption meets caution
AI is emerging as a top priority for security teams, yet Irish organisations remain wary. Thirty-four percent of Irish respondents rank protecting against AI-enabled attacks as a spending focus, compared with 46% of global peers.
Only 6% would allow fully autonomous AI agents to execute cyber-defence actions, far below the 22% global average. A further 37% would permit AI to recommend actions but require human approval before execution, versus 28% elsewhere.
Reliability and maturity concerns dominate the debate: 69% of Irish leaders cite AI technology’s trustworthiness as a key barrier, outpacing the 55% figure worldwide. Regulatory compliance and fears of adversarial manipulation each draw concern from 57% of respondents.
While AI can broaden the attack surface, it also offers new defensive tools. Security leaders rank threat-alerting and phishing detection as the most promising AI applications, with 50% and 42% respectively seeing them as priorities.
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From a broader perspective, the hesitation around autonomous AI reflects a universal tension between speed and oversight. Organizations that can balance rapid, algorithm-driven response with human validation are more likely to harness AI’s benefits without exposing new vulnerabilities.
Workforce readiness remains a challenge. Thirty-one percent of Irish executives identify gaps in AI-oversight skills as a barrier, and 57% say cultivating a strong cyber culture is essential for retaining talent.
Quantum-resistant security is another emerging concern. Only 6% of Irish firms report active implementation of quantum-ready measures, compared with 21% globally, though 68% are piloting or testing such technologies.
Third-party resilience also features prominently.
Quantum security and third-party resilience
Third-party resilience is also a challenge, with 91% of global organisations reporting difficulties. These include enforcing service-level agreements and understanding shared security responsibility.
Managed services are another area of focus, with AI being the leading focus area for managed services over the next 12 months, followed by cloud security and data protection.
Leonard McAuliffe stated that AI is changing both sides of the cyber equation, creating new risks but also transforming how organisations defend themselves. The opportunity is to build trust, governance, and human oversight to use AI more confidently.
Irish organisations need to build trust without stalling AI adoption, prioritising improved AI reliability and maturity, strengthening defences against adversarial manipulation, and translating regulatory requirements into clear operating guardrails.
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