We’re bringing the momentum and energy of Basecamp to the Midlands, in partnership with Laois, Offaly, Westmeath and Longford County Councils and Local Enterprise Offices.
When Thursday 19 November 2026 Where Portlaoise Details Venue and registration coming very soon
It happened · Tuesday 13 October · HUBSPOT HQ, DUBLIN
AI Basecamp: what happened
Irish business owners and leaders shared the AI they have really deployed: what worked, what didn’t and what it was worth. The day before Ireland’s National AI Summit, kindly hosted by HubSpot for Startups.
170+ business owners and leaders in the room
11 speakers across sales, operations, HR, finance, product and compliance
Open breakouts for those starting and those scaling
No lectures. No selling. Just proof.
Took place Tuesday 13 October 2026 Where HubSpot International & EMEA HQ, Dublin 2
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Ready to take the next step?
Tell us where you are and what you want to tackle. We’ll point you to the right Pioneer, partner or starting point.
“I'm skeptical of these things because of their tendency to become a series of sales pitches, but it was the absolute opposite thanks to great curation and fantastic guests. Took so many little nuggets away and my brain has been abuzz since, already excited for the next one!”
Aidan C.AI Basecamp attendee
“The biggest thing I took home is that it's okay to be afraid and behind with AI. Most of us are. What matters is being willing to embrace it, one step at a time.”
Morgan C.AI Basecamp attendee
“After the AI Basecamp event on Tuesday, that's where I started, getting everything set up with the help of Claude. Less time on the things that I find energy-draining and more on the value adding parts of my business, helping my clients.”
James S.AI Basecamp attendee
Our activity — past & upcoming
PastJune 2026 · Croke Park, Dublin
AI in Practice — Food & Beverage Summit
AI Action chaired the AI session — moving owners from AI theatre to operational reality, with live deployment stories.
PastTue 29 July 2026
How We’re Using AI in Business — Day 1
Stephen Browne (IO Resource) & Barry Prost (Rent a Recruiter) on what they’ve actually deployed.
Too many business owners are wading through AI hype — and still can't see what it would actually do in a business like theirs.
AI has arrived faster than any of us expected. Most business owners know they need to act. Most are afraid of being left behind. But when they look for help, too much of what they find is theory and hype — explanations of what AI is, but rarely what it actually does inside a real business - save time, reduce costs, improve margins, win customers, compete more effectively
The knowledge they need already exists. It's hidden inside the boardrooms of successful companies with the owners and leaders who have already done it, made the mistakes, and figured out what works. Now...they are willing to share.
AI Action is how we get that knowledge out.
99.8%of Irish businesses are SMEs (supporting 2/3 of the workforce) with 40% (1.2M) Irish jobs exposed to AI disruption (IMF 2026)
86.2%of Irish SMEs have not yet adopted AI (ESRI 2026)
2%of Irish SMEs make extensive use of AI across their business (EI 2026)
Why it matters
AI doesn't just build better businesses. It protects the people inside them.
The SMEs most at risk of losing jobs are not the ones learning to use AI. They are the ones standing still while their competitors at home and abroad become leaner, faster, and better informed.
That is where jobs are really at risk. Not from AI. From inaction.
This is not a technology argument. It is a survival argument. Healthier businesses survive — and businesses that survive protect the jobs of every person working in them.
Repetitive tasks automated — people focus on higher-value work
Errors and waste reduced — margins and resilience rise
Customer experience improves — loyalty and repeat business grow
Decisions get faster — owners respond to change
Small firms compete with companies ten times their size
How it works
Peer-led. Practical. Nobody leaves empty-handed.
AI Action live runs a national roadshow of SME peer-led events — business owners who have already deployed AI showing other owners exactly what worked, what failed, and what they'd do differently. Not consultants. Not theory. Operators, showing and helping.
01
Sign up
You start a first-draft AI strategy before you arrive so the day works for your business.
02
Hear what really happened
Real Irish owners share the honest story of deploying AI, the wins and the mistakes.
03
Work your challenge
Break into focused sessions by sector and need from zero-knowledge to board-level.
04
Leave with a plan
You walk out with a signed AI strategy and your first build ready to act on Monday.
Work with us
From “where do we start?” to a working AI build — in weeks, not years.
Beyond the events, AI Action works directly with Irish businesses. One simple pathway — start small, prove the value, then scale. We work hand-in-hand with Ireland's enterprise supports — your Local Enterprise Office, Enterprise Ireland, Skillnet — so every existing support works harder for you. Enterprise supports may offset part of the cost; we help you check and apply.
1
Discover
The AI Opportunity Workshop. A half-day session that maps where AI can genuinely help your business. You leave with a prioritised plan, a signed one-page AI strategy, and a first build to aim at.
2
Build
The One-Week AI Build Sprint. We build your top use case. In one week you go from a plan to a working AI tool in your business.
3
Grow
Deploy & Aftercare. The AI Action team help you roll it out, then tackle the next opportunity — monthly support so momentum never stops.
AI Action is built as a connected ecosystem. Each action reinforces the other so that together we can move the AI adoption dial accross Ireland.
LIVE
/ Live Events
The flagship national roadshow and supporting webinars.
DOING
/ Doing Sprints
Hands-on delivery, 1:1 support, in-company sessions, AI build sprints.
NETWORK
/ Network System
The sharing circle — board-level peer learning, year round.
HUB
/ Hub
On-demand library — case studies, playbooks, watch anytime.
SUPPORTS
/ Support Assist
Mapping supports to the SMEs that need them.
Sector tracks
Manufacturing
Agri-Food & Dairy
Retail & Hospitality
Construction
Logistics
Professional Services
The Pioneers
The business AI pioneers willing to share.
AI Action is supported by senior business owners and leaders who have deployed AI at the highest level and are willing to share what they've learned.
Dr. Elena Alikhachkina
Founder, Infofluence
4× Fortune 200 Board AI-governance advisor x4 - Chief AI Officer (Roche, J&J, Danone, GSK) Author of AI Oversight.
Stephen Browne
MD, IO Resource / Altamar Ventures
Retail-tech operator and SME investor.
Christina Russell
AI Pioneer OLIVER Ireland
AI deployment at the Media coalface.
Barry Prost
Founder, Rent a Recruiter
AI in global hiring and employer branding.
Niall O'Sullivan
Founder, Zellor AI
Serial founder; built & sold Arconics.
Nuno Pedro
Ex-VP Consumer & Performance, Adidas · EVP Calvin Klein
Vanessa Wainwright
Founder, Abodoo
AI-powered global skills intelligence.
Kathryn Hutcheson
Operations @ oac snacks
x PepsiCo - AI x Supply Chain
Cara Doyle
Head of Digital Content & GenAI, Mark Anthony Brands International
Digital transformation & global content leadership.
Shaje Ganny
President, Swiss AI Academy
Barry Fitzpatrick
Founder & Convener, AI Action
Strategy & national delivery.
Dan Lenehan
Founder, AI Shop Assistant
AI shop assistant bringing in-store expertise online; presented at OpenAI’s SME AI Accelerator.
Stuart McCaul
CEO, Big Red Cloud
AI for bookkeeping & payroll — a trusted second pair of eyes.
Alan Thornton
Founder, ai-compliance.app
Building accountable AI infrastructure.
Ashley Nichols
Founder & CEO, Familiar Futures
Former U.S. Department of State diplomat; former Director at Accenture.
+ a growing community
Join the Pioneers
Irish business leaders stepping up to help others.
Get involved
Two doors. One movement.
Our SME needs help
Let us help you.
Join the next AI Action / Live event and learn from owners who have already done it or request to join a Workshop / AI Build Sprint (Limited availability)
I can help
Share what worked.
If you've deployed AI in your business, the good, the bad and the ugly — SMEs needs to hear from you. Step forward as an AI Action Pioneer.
What people said
