People First, AI Forward
Artificial intelligence has moved rapidly from the margins to the mainstream. For businesses and brands, the question is no longer whether AI will have an impact, but how it can be used responsibly and effectively to deliver real value.
Based on research conducted with 2,000 adults living in Ireland, this report explores how Gen AI is being adopted in Ireland today, where usage is accelerating, where confidence is growing, and where caution remains. It highlights a clear pattern. Gen AI is most readily embraced when it improves productivity, reduces friction and helps people navigate complexity. At the same time, the research shows that people still draw important boundaries. They welcome Gen AI as a tool, but continue to value human judgement, creativity and connection in areas that matter most. Understanding this balance is critical for brands as AI becomes more deeply woven into daily life.
Launch of AI Connect report.
Just as consumers are adopting Gen AI at pace, so too is the marketing industry. At Core, our perspective on AI is grounded in optimism and intent.
Our philosophy is simple:
People First. AI Forward.
We see AI as a collaborator, a smart tool for our smart people to work with. Every major shift our industry has experienced, from digital to social to programmatic, has changed how we work. AI will do the same.
We do not see it simply as a tool that takes mundane tasks away from people, but as a collaborator that works alongside them. When smart people work with intelligent systems, new possibilities emerge. Problems can be explored from more angles, ideas can be stress-tested earlier, and thinking can evolve in ways that would not be possible for either humans or machines working alone. For clients, this means better work delivered with greater clarity and speed, not efficiency for its own sake, but progress in service of stronger outcomes.
However, productivity is only part of the opportunity. The greater potential for our industry lies in how this collaborative use of AI can help brands better engage audiences.
AI powered tools are enabling sharper audience understanding, more relevant ways to connect and the design of better brand experiences.
AI Connect study team
With more powerful tools comes greater accountability. Trust is every bit as important as performance. At Core, we believe human oversight remains essential to protecting that trust. It is our responsibility to ensure quality, safeguard data, respect intellectual property and apply judgement at every stage. Ethical use of AI is not a new standard; it is an extension of the standards we already hold ourselves to.
The most effective future for marketing will be built on collaboration between people, disciplines, and intelligent systems. Our belief in People First. AI Forward is rooted in partnership. AI and people working together can achieve things that neither could deliver on their own. Technology can expand thinking, reveal connections, and challenge assumptions, while human insight provides context, creativity and meaning. The role of agencies is not simply to adopt new tools, but to orchestrate this collaboration to deliver better results.
As AI continues to reshape our industry, success will not come from moving fastest alone, but from moving with clarity of understanding. We hope this research provides a useful lens on how people are engaging with Gen AI today, where trust is being earned, and where caution remains. More importantly, we hope it helps brands navigate the next phase of AI with confidence, responsibility, and ambition.
