PwC Ireland, in partnership with Microsoft, is opening a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) business center in Dublin to drive adoption of the new technology. The professional services firm said the center, located at its Irish headquarters on North Wall Quay, would drive “necessary investment returns in a safe and secure way”. GenAI has the potential to transform industries by automating tasks, revolutionizing problem-solving and creating new opportunities.

PwC earlier this year invested over €1 billion globally through its alliance with Microsoft to expand and scale AI and drive human-led, tech-powered transformation. The announcement of the new Irish unit came in parallel with a new PwC survey that found that adoption of AI and GenAI in Ireland was slow by international standards. Nearly a quarter (24%) of Irish business leaders admitted they have no plans to use GenAI such as OpenAI’s GPT models, while 61% said they are either considering adopting AI or using it to a limited extent.

Referring to the announcement of the new center, managing partner of PwC Ireland Enda McDonagh said: “This is an important investment by PwC Ireland which we believe will deliver a generational leap forward in the way we deliver our work and aligns with our strategy to be at the forefront of technology-enabled change. This strategic collaboration with Microsoft will allow us to harness the power of generative AI in a secure and responsible way to build trust and drive sustained outcomes for clients.”