Maryrose Lyons is an AI expert fuelled by a mission to make artificial intelligence accessible, transformative and inclusive for all... and to position Ireland at the forefront of a future that’s already unfolding.
Founder of The AI Institute, Maryrose Lyons is one of Ireland’s leading voices on artificial intelligence. Known for her fresh, human-first approach, she has made it her mission to make AI practical, accessible, and transformative for everyone – from engineers and architects to financial services teams and students.
The AI Institute began in 2023 with a simple goal: bring everyone along and leave no one behind. In just two years, it has grown from an education-focused training company into a full-service AI transformation partner, building automations, creating custom apps, and supporting long-term adoption for clients across multiple sectors. “The AI conversation has moved so quickly,” Maryrose reflects. “My focus is helping entire teams build the knowledge and confidence to use AI in ways that are safe, strategic and future-focused.”
In 2025, Maryrose and her team sharpened their focus, becoming AI Adoption Specialists for the built environment, helping engineers, architects, and quantity surveyors achieve guaranteed productivity gains of 20 percent. “I’ve always been an early adopter,” Maryrose reflects, “but this past year has brought more change to my business than the ten years before it.”
Maryrose Lyons
Working smarter, not harder
The Institute’s impact stretches well beyond Ireland. Its programmes have trained marketers, defence workers, and financial services professionals, and Maryrose is preparing to deliver AI training in Saudi Arabia later this year. At the heart of the Institute is a distinctive four-part framework: content creation, data analysis, virtual assistants, and scalable content systems. These aren’t just courses, Maryrose insists, “they’re survival kits for the future of work”.
“What’s happening now is bigger than a tech trend,” she says. “We’re talking about a fundamental rewiring of how we work…and we need to do it soon.” She points out that while many people stop at basic prompting, the real breakthroughs are happening in automation and agent-based systems. “By 2026, AI agents will be able to perform eight hours of unsupervised work. If we don’t prepare for that now, we’ll be left behind.”
But for Maryrose, the vision has never been about replacing people. It’s about augmentation. “We’re moving toward a future where each of us becomes the CEO of our own role, surrounded by a digital team of agents that help us work smarter, not harder. That’s how we reclaim balance in an accelerated world.”
She’s already seeing the mindset shift. In 2023, course participants’ top fear was being replaced by AI. In 2024, it’s overwhelm. “People aren’t afraid of being excluded anymore. They’re afraid of being buried under the pressure to do it all, faster and better. That’s where AI can help.”
A time for reform
Maryrose believes government and education reform will be crucial. “Job creation can’t be the only metric anymore. We should be measuring purpose, wellbeing, and balance… and how AI can support those.” While she praises the EU AI Act for its risk-based approach, she worries Ireland is falling behind. “This moment demands leaders with vision and urgency. The genie’s out of the bottle. Why couldn’t Ireland be the CERN of AI?”
At the core of her work is inclusion. “Don’t let anyone get left behind,” she says. Whether you’re an engineer, teacher, CFO or student, AI is for you. And Maryrose Lyons is determined to make sure you’re ready.
Photography by Dora Kazmierak.
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