AI consultancy · Ireland
AI consultancy for Irish businesses
Ireland formed more new companies in 2025 than in any year for fifteen years, and the EU AI Act now expects every one of them to train the people who use AI. We're a UK consultancy working on the same clock as you. We set AI up on your own accounts, train your team by video and write the policy that goes with it, at fixed prices you can see below.
From £395 (about €470)
Based in the UK, working by video with businesses in Ireland. Ireland is on the same time as the UK.
Why this is a good moment to get it right
According to CRIFVision-Net, 26,500 companies were set up in Ireland in 2025, an 11% rise on the year before and the highest figure in fifteen years (RTÉ, January 2026). Many are small, and many already use ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini on personal accounts.
That informal stage is where the edge is won or lost. The firm that sets AI up properly drafts faster, inside accounts it controls, with staff who know what not to paste in. The firm that leaves it to chance gets the same tools plus the data risk.
Ireland and AI at a glance
| What | The figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New companies formed in 2025 | 26,500, up 11% | CRIFVision-Net via RTÉ, Jan 2026 |
| AI literacy duty for firms using AI | Applies from 2 February 2025 | EU AI Act, Article 4 |
| Telling people they're talking to an AI | Applies from 2 August 2026 | EU AI Act, Article 50 |
| EU recognition of UK data protection | Renewed until 27 December 2031 | European Commission, Dec 2025 |
| Regulator guidance on AI and personal data | Published 18 July 2024 | Data Protection Commission |
| Time difference with the UK | None | Ireland and the UK share a clock |
Checked October 2026.
The rules, in plain terms
AI literacy. Article 4 of the EU AI Act says businesses that deploy AI systems must take measures to support AI literacy among the staff who use them. There's no exam or certificate, but you should be able to show what training people had. A workshop on their real work, with a written record, does that.
Chatbots. Article 50 adds that people talking to an AI system should be told so, unless it's obvious. If you put an assistant on your website, it should say what it is.
Personal data. The Data Protection Commission asks organisations to find out what an AI product does with the data typed into it, including whether the provider keeps it or reuses it.
Working with a UK firm. In December 2025 the European Commission renewed its finding that UK data protection is adequate, so personal data can flow to a UK provider without extra transfer clauses. We work to UK GDPR anyway, inside your own accounts. This is general information, not legal advice.
What we'd set up first, by type of firm
Accountants and solicitors
Drafting with a firm grip on confidentiality
Client letters, engagement letters and file summaries, with clear rules on what client data goes where.
AI for Irish practicesConstruction and trades
Quotes and site paperwork
Quote drafts from site notes and method statement drafts for a competent person to check.
Hospitality and retail
Bookings, reviews and the inbox
Review replies in your voice, menu descriptions, and a website assistant for everyday questions.
Website assistantsStart-ups and agencies
One process, automated properly
An enquiry comes in, AI drafts the reply for a person to approve, and the lead lands in your CRM, tested and documented.
AI automationPrices, with euro guides
Prices are in pounds sterling. Euro figures are a guide at the October 2026 rate; your card provider sets the actual conversion.
Paying from Ireland
Irish cards work in our online checkout, so you can buy the Kick-Start or the AI policy directly. If your accounts team prefers an invoice, ask for one and pay by bank transfer within 7 days.
We don't charge UK VAT, as we aren't registered for it. A VAT-registered Irish business buying services from abroad usually accounts for Irish VAT itself under the reverse charge; your accountant will confirm.
If you're hoping to use a Local Enterprise Office Grow Digital Voucher, ask your LEO before you book. The published scheme is built around new off-the-shelf software, with set-up and training allowed as part of the project, and costs incurred before you apply aren't eligible.
Irish sector guides
Questions people ask
Does the EU AI Act require AI training for staff in Ireland?
Article 4 asks firms that use AI to take measures to support their staff's AI literacy, proportionate to how they use it. There's no set course or certificate, but a record of practical training is a sensible way to show you've acted.
Can an Irish company use a UK AI consultancy under GDPR?
Yes. The EU's adequacy decision for the UK was renewed in December 2025 and runs to 27 December 2031, so data can flow to a UK provider without standard contractual clauses. We also work inside your own accounts wherever possible.
How much does AI training for a small team cost in Ireland?
Our team workshop by video is £795 (about €940) for up to ten staff over two half-days. One-to-one coaching for an owner is £195 (about €230).
Can we use a Grow Digital Voucher for this?
Possibly for parts of a software project, but the scheme rules centre on new off-the-shelf software. Check with your Local Enterprise Office before you commit, as they decide.
Who you'll work with
James Hayes Consulting is a UK AI consultancy led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We work with overseas businesses by video, set AI up on your real work, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.
Every project starts with a free 15-minute video call. Prices are in pounds sterling and agreed in writing before you commit; UK VAT isn’t added.
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