Latest news with #DigitalBusinessIreland
RTÉ News
27-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
New EU rules on digital accessibility to come into force
New EU rules come into force tomorrow which will require websites, apps and devices to be accessible for people with disabilities and elderly people. If companies fail to comply with the European Accessibility Act they could be hit with fines and even prison sentences for senior staff. Brian Dalton is blind and is a wheelchair user. He is also a senior accessibility test engineer who works with clients to ensure their websites are accessible. Mr Dalton relies on screen reader software to navigate through the internet. "I will read the news headlines on various websites. I will want to book flights for holidays. I will want to book concert tickets. I'll want to do online shopping, just as anybody would," he said. Even with the best software, if the website is not well designed it can pose problems for people with disabilities. "The key is, are headings on websites accessible? Do they have accessible text? Are they structured in a right way?" Mr Dalton said. "Is the text on the link going to tell me exactly where I'm going to be taken to when I click it?" Mr Dalton is welcoming tomorrow's introduction of the European Accessibility Act. "I think it will be amazing, because it's going to harmonise the standard of accessibility across EU member states. "For example, there are guidelines around audio description, which says that pre-recorded video content has to be accompanied by an audio track. "There are also guidelines around the functionality needed for accessibility for keyboard users," he added. At the studios of New Graphic in Dublin, designers work with clients to make their websites more accessible. "The new act means that any kind of digital product, be it a website, an app, or an ATM, needs to be accessible," said Diarmuid Slattery, Director at New Graphic. "And websites should be accessible; you wouldn't build a new leisure centre and not make it accessible. "Right now, I think there is a knowledge gap, businesses don't know enough about accessibility and they need some help," Mr Slattery said. "Businesses need to think about how they write their content, as well as the images and videos they put up. "Videos need transcripts and content needs to be structured in a way that is understandable," he added. Digital Business Ireland (DBI) has expressed concerns about a lack of understanding of the new rules among companies. A recent survey carried out by the group showed that nearly half of Irish businesses were unaware of the requirements. DBI is calling for additional supports for businesses. "We feel that the Government should be looking at grant support," said Caroline Dunlea, Chairperson of Digital Business Ireland. "They could tier that support based on the size of the business. "There is an investment into making a website accessible, ensuring screen readers are there, or the colour contrasts are correct. "All of that has to be funded," Ms Dunlea said. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has been designated as one of the lead supervisory authorities in Ireland for the European Accessibility Act. It has produced a set of guidelines for small businesses. Internet users like Brian Dalton say the new rules should not be something to be feared by businesses but rather should be viewed as an opportunity to deliver better websites and a better user experience for all. "For me, independence is the freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it. "So, if I decide in the middle of the night to sit down and book my holidays or do my online shopping or read the newspaper, I can do it independently of anybody else, because the accessibility requirements will be implemented," he said.
Irish Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Digital commerce body urges government to provide greater support to help Irish SMEs adopt new AI tech
A NATIONAL representative body for the e-commerce, digital and tech sectors in Ireland has called on the government to provide greater support for Irish Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to adopt new AI technology. Digital Business Ireland (DBI) has proposed an allowance that would cover the first year of a business' costs for deploying AI tech. The organisation has also called for the current digital grant scheme for SMEs to be overhauled after claiming less than €30,000 has been allocated from a budget of more €5m since last September. "Digital Business Ireland believes the government can do much more to help Irish businesses accelerate their digital transition and adoption of AI," said DBI national spokesperson DP Fitzgerald. "However, existing supports simply do not go far enough." Invest in tech and training The proposals, aimed at accelerating the digital transition and the adoption of AI in Ireland, form part of DBI's pre-Budget submission for 2026. The organisation has recommended an Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) for AI technologies that would cover 100 per cent of a business' AI costs in the first year of deployment of such systems. It suggests the scheme could mirror the existing ACA for green technology and would incentivise Irish businesses to adopt new AI tech to drive greater efficiencies. DBI also believes that the current digital grant scheme for SMEs is insufficient, with the GrowDigital Voucher only offering grant support up to €5,000. It says that in a recent Parliamentary Question, the Department of Enterprise confirmed that the voucher had only 13 applications and six approvals since its launch in September 2024. This amounted to €28,296.50 being given out from a budget of more than €5m allocated at the inception of the scheme. Meanwhile, DBI has called for Increased investment in skills and training courses to further support AI development. It has proposed a minimum of 500 places be designated specifically for AI training courses such as Springboard+, which only had 55 places on offer for AI courses last year. The fourth and final proposal in DBI's submission is the allocation of funding for enhanced advisory and support services for businesses to ensure compliance with digital regulation. Proposals will increase productivity "Our pre-budget submission proposes tangible and constructive measures to support government's ambition to realise the full benefits of digitalisation, including AI," added Mr Fitzgerald. "This in turn will increase the productivity of Irish businesses, and ensure their strategic focus is where it needs to be. "Our proposals are aimed at turbo-charging digital transition and adoption of AI among SMEs — businesses that are the backbone of the Irish economy." Two weeks ago, Deloitte Ireland also proposed a tax credit for businesses investing in AI and digitalisation in its pre-budget submission. The firm said it would apply to expenditure related to the reliably safe development, implementation and use of AI and digitalisation. See More: Digital Business Ireland
RTÉ News
27-05-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Irish tech businesses call for AI allowance
The Government is being urged to introduce an Accelerated Capital Allowance (ACA) for businesses to cover the cost of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies. Digital Business Ireland (DBI), the national representative body for the e-commerce, digital and tech sectors in Ireland, said the new allowance would cover 100% of costs in the first year of deployment of AI technologies, and the scheme could mirror the existing ACA for green technology. DBI said the allowance would incentivise Irish businesses to adopt new AI technologies to drive greater efficiencies, while facilitating the exploration of new international markets for their products, goods and services. In its pre-Budget submission, DBI is also calling for increased investment in skills and training courses, and funding for enhanced advisory and support services for businesses to ensure compliance with digital regulation. The submission warns that the EU regulatory environment in the digital space can be a 'minefield for businesses' and urges the Government to invest in advisory support to help businesses achieve compliance. In addition, the group is urging the Government to reform the Grown Digital Voucher schemes by introducing a tiered system of grant support for digital transition and adoption of AI by Irish SMEs. According to DBI, in a recent parliamentary question, the Department of Enterprise confirmed that the voucher had only 13 applications and six approvals since its launch in September 2024, which meant that €28,296.50 was given out from a budget of over €5 million allocated at the inception of the scheme. "Digital Business Ireland believes the Government can do much more to help Irish businesses accelerate their digital transition and adoption of AI. However, existing supports simply do not go far enough," said DBI National Spokesperson DP Fitzgerald. "Our pre-budget submission proposes tangible and constructive measures to support the Government's ambition to realise the full benefits of digitalisation, including AI," Mr Fitzgerald said.
BreakingNews.ie
21-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish employment in social media companies drops 11% since 2022
Digital Business Ireland has called on the Government to do more to support Ireland's digital and tech sector after new data showed a fall-off in the number of social media companies operating in Ireland and a 11 per cent fall in jobs in the sector. Data provided by the Department of Enterprise in response to a recent parliamentary question shows that the number of social media companies operating in Ireland has fallen by a fifth, from 40 in 2022 to 32 last year, while the number of employees in social media companies has fallen by 11 per cent from 15,478 in 2022 to 13,744 last year. Advertisement DBI said it "welcomes the commitments in the new Programme for Government to make Ireland an EU centre of expertise and a regulatory hub for companies operating across the EU Digital Single Market, while also ensuring that Ireland benefits from the innovation and investment potential of new technologies like AI". However, "DBI believes the Programme for Government's ambition must be matched with a pro-business, pro-growth approach to supporting Ireland's digital and tech sector to balance digital compliance and growth". In particular, DBI is calling on the Government to: Review and enhance the mandate and work of the Data Protection Commission and the State's enterprise agencies to provide enhanced advisory and support services for businesses. Champion an accelerated simplification of EU digital regulation, to boost innovation and growth across the digital and tech sectors, and to seek data transfer agreements with more third countries. Digital Business Ireland chairperson Caroline Dunlea said: 'The fall-off in jobs in social media companies operating in Ireland provides a timely reminder that Ireland must not take the digital and tech sector for granted. 'Government must do more to protect jobs in the digital and tech sectors and to safeguard Ireland's reputation as a supportive base for global digital and tech companies. 'A pro-business, pro-growth approach to supporting the digital and tech sectors must be prioritised by the coalition as part of its competitiveness agenda.'
