I spoke with two of Ireland’s top AI companies about how the Emerald Isle sets itself apart from Silicon Valley.

Ireland is a small country with about 5 million people, but it’s a heavy hitter in terms of economic and cultural impact. From the popularity of Hozier and Derry Girls to, yes, Guinness, the global interest in Ireland can’t be underestimated. That much was clear when I visited Dublin for the International AI Summit in October to learn more about the nation’s status as one of Europe’s biggest players in artificial intelligence. 

The country has a thriving AI economy. Ireland ranks ninth overall in Europe in the number of venture capital deals so far in 2026 — second if you adjust for population. That data comes from Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government’s trade and innovation agency responsible for investing in and growing Irish enterprises globally. 

While attending the summit in Dublin, I quickly found that European companies are figuring out how to keep pace with adoption in the US and China while balancing safety with innovation. While Europe is well-positioned to become a global player in building trusted AI that people actually want to use, many believe it doesn’t need to move at Silicon Valley’s pace to be successful. There is a real opportunity for Europe, and Ireland in particular, to be a difference-maker in scaling AI globally.   

I sat down with Eoin Hinchy, co-founder and CEO of Tines , a workflow company specializing in AI-powered automation for security and enterprise operations, and Dorothy Creaven, co-founder and COO of Jentic , which creates AI agent infrastructure for businesses.

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