Study shows Northern Ireland council’s adopting AI but major gaps remain

Northern Ireland is at an early stage of local government AI readiness, according to a new comprehensive study carried out into how councils are using the technology.

The 18‑month study, led by Heriot-Watt University and GoLLM examined how ready local authorities are to adopt and use different AI applications by analysing two hundred and eight councils across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England.

The report, titled AI Readiness of UK Local Authorities 2025, shows most Northern Ireland councils operating at the early stages with limited AI adoption and significant gaps in data strategy, digital capacity and organisational confidence.

The research was carried out by Heriot‑Watt University’s Intelligent Automation Systems Lab (IAS), AI specialists GoLLM and made possible through partnership with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), the Society for Innovation, Technology and Modernisation (Socitm), Coram Children’s charity and Sustainable Scotland Network (SSN).

Dr Luciana Blaha, IAS lab lead at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh Business School said: “Northern Ireland is at a very early stage in its AI journey, with most councils still building the basic digital and data foundations needed before AI can be used with confidence, yet strong interest from organisations like NILGA in supporting their development.

“However, many councils are working with limited resources, workforce pressures and older systems, which naturally makes it harder to move beyond small‑scale pilots.

“AI culture is also still developing, with many teams yet to have structured conversations about how these tools might support their work or improve services for residents.

“Despite this, Northern Ireland has some strong system‑wide support in place, including national programmes and networks that can help councils build skills, share learning and make steady progress.

“With continued investment, clearer coordination and closer collaboration across all eleven councils, Northern Ireland has real potential to move from early experiments toward more confident and responsible use of AI in public services.”

Funding of over £7k through the Innovation Voucher Programme, managed by Interface, which links organisations to academic expertise, and £3k from the IAS Lab supported the study, and additional in‑kind support from GoLLM enabled a team of eight researchers to complete the work.

In addition, GoLLM has since invested more than £6k in research analysts to continue supporting the project following the conclusion of the Interface and IAS Lab funding.

Dr Blaha added: “The wider UK findings show a sector keen to adopt AI but held back by uneven data foundations, culture and limited capacity.

“We found that most councils are still in a difficult middle ground, where they recognise the potential of AI but lack the data foundations, confidence and governance strategy to use it safely and at scale.

“There is huge variation between councils, often shaped by leadership priorities, legacy systems and the speed at which clear guidance is developing, which makes it much harder for many to move beyond early experimentation.

“Despite this, we saw encouraging examples where AI was introduced in ways that strengthened services and supported staff rather than replaced them, which shows responsible, community‑focused, and sustainable adoption initiatives which differ by region.”

The report found early examples of AI being used across Northern Ireland, mostly through small pilots and exploratory projects.

In Belfast, the council has begun testing generative AI to support communication and help staff with routine tasks.

Lisburn and Castlereagh, along with Mid and East Antrim, are introducing basic automation tools to speed up internal processes and reduce pressure on teams.

Causeway Coast and Glens is trialling IoT technology to monitor environmental conditions and manage assets more efficiently.

Other councils are taking first steps by exploring small digital upgrades and early AI tools, reflecting a cautious but growing interest in how automation and data‑driven systems could support local services.

Daniel Shorr, CEO of GoLLM and co‑author of the report, said “This research turns a complicated landscape into a clear starting point for action.

“It shows that AI readiness isn’t determined by size alone, the councils pulling ahead are distinguished by leadership ambition, governance discipline, strategic clarity and stronger data capability.

“Those are the same foundations we design for in our feedback-to-insights platform D.A.V.E. (Dynamic Analytics Visualisation Engine) which streamlines public consultations and other feedback data into actionable reports.”

The report says Northern Ireland can make the biggest progress by strengthening shared digital systems, improving basic data foundations and giving councils the stability they need to plan and invest in new technology.

It also recommends building workforce skills and improving access to specialist support, helping staff gain confidence in how AI can be used safely and practically within local services.

The findings come as councils face rising demand for services and increasing pressure to modernise systems while protecting frontline staff time.

A spokesperson for APSE said: “APSE was delighted to support the “AI Readiness of UK Local Authorities 2025” report. The findings reflect what we hear from our members regularly: councils are keen to innovate but progress depends on strong governance and organisational capacity.

“This research provides a timely and practical look at where local government stands on AI, and what’s needed to move from pilots to meaningful and scalable impact for communities.”

The study highlights the importance of continued collaboration across all eleven councils, alongside national support from bodies such as the NI AI and Digital Office, NILGA, the Digital Transformation Flexible Fund and the Public Sector Shared Network, to help create a more consistent and resilient digital public sector.

A spokesperson for Socitm added: “Socitm's own research aligns with the findings from this study, which highlight that enthusiasm for AI is growing across local government, but many councils are still navigating practical challenges, from legacy systems and siloed data to digital skills gaps.

“Working together with Heriot-Watt, GoLLM, and other sector partners we want to help councils overcome these barriers by strengthening data foundations, building capability, and embedding ethical governance, so they can turn ambition into trusted, tangible improvements in public services.”

Professor Luciana Blaha and the research team will share further insights at the AI Public Sector week on 17 March, and for an APSE member-only session on 24 March.