Irish consumers are embracing artificial intelligence for everyday customer service tasks while insisting on human connection when interactions become complex or sensitive. New research from the Customer Contact Management Association Ireland, a professional association representing the country’s 60,000 customer experience professionals, finds AI is gaining traction but trust remains conditional. The findings carry direct and positive implications for associations and institutes across every sector.

The research makes a compelling case for association leadership on the responsible AI adoption agenda. Three findings define the opportunity: the measurable improvement in consumer satisfaction that good practice is delivering, the transparency deficit that professional standards can help close, and the skills investment imperative that associations are best placed to advance.

The headline satisfaction data is encouraging. Some 68% of Irish consumers rated their most recent customer service experience as good or very good, an improvement on 2024. In-person remains the preferred channel at 75%, while email rose to 61%, WhatsApp and Messenger to 60%, and phone to 59%. Some 91% have used the phone for customer service and 70% live chat with an agent, pointing to a population comfortable with choice.

The AI trust gap is the most important finding for those leading community engagement and service design. Some 77% of Irish consumers want to be told when they are interacting with AI, yet only 57% say it is currently clear. As Dorothy O’Byrne, CEO of CCMA Ireland, observed, just 29% rate AI phone agents positively compared with 54% for live-agent chat, a divergence that points to where human expertise adds the greatest value.

The skills dimension of this transition is where associations have the most immediate role. O’Byrne identified professional development as a critical enabler, pointing to Skillnet programmes as current mechanisms for helping companies invest in AI training. For associations with CPD infrastructure, this is an active programme opportunity: delivering the AI literacy that Ireland’s 60,000 CX professionals need to work effectively alongside intelligent systems.

Three priorities stand out for association leaders. First, develop sector-specific AI transparency standards giving member organisations a clear framework for communicating AI use to customers, closing the gap the CCMA research identifies. Second, invest in member engagement programmes connecting CX professionals with tested approaches to AI implementation and customer communication. Third, advocate for expanded Skillnet funding to support AI upskilling across the customer service sector and beyond.

The CCMA Ireland research is a measured and positive portrait of a sector adapting thoughtfully to AI while holding firm on trust, transparency, and the human connection that complex situations demand. For associations and institutes across Ireland, those that build the standards, skills, and peer communities that responsible AI adoption requires will define professional excellence in the AI-powered economy ahead.