Bottom line up front: On Thursday 9 April 2026, AI keynote speaker 2026 Mark Kelly joined RTE 6PM News, Ireland’s main broadcaster, to break down the new ESRI report on AI and Irish jobs, the surprise arrival of Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, and what both mean for the future of work. His message to Irish leaders was simple. Stop watching. Start building. The next 18 months will decide who wins and who falls behind.
What Mark Said on RTE 6PM News
The interview was wide ranging. In a single segment Mark covered three big stories that landed in the same 72 hour window:
- The new ESRI and Department of Finance report on AI and Irish jobs.
- Anthropic’s release of Claude Mythos, the most powerful AI model built so far.
- How the 5 P’s framework helps people move from AI apprentice to AI architect.
Mark told viewers that Ireland is at a turning point. The technology has moved faster than the policy, the playbooks, and most boardrooms. Leaders who treat April 2026 as a normal month will look back on it as the month they fell behind.
The ESRI Report in Plain English
The ESRI and Department of Finance published their joint study on 9 April 2026. It is the clearest read yet on how AI will reshape work in Ireland.
The headline numbers Mark walked through on air:
- Around 7% of current Irish jobs could be displaced in the short to medium term.
- The losses will hit highly educated, desk based workers hardest. This is new. Past tech waves hit lower skilled work first.
- Clerical roles are most exposed. General and keyboard clerks face an estimated 18% drop. Numerical clerks 15.8%. Customer service clerks 14.6%.
- ICT professionals are not safe either. The report puts their exposure at 13.7%, with business and admin professionals at 11.4%.
- Wages for workers who stay employed will rise, but the gains are “modest but broadly shared”.
- Income inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, will rise in every scenario the ESRI tested.
Mark put it like this on RTE. “This is not a story about robots taking factory jobs. This is a story about software taking the jobs of graduates. The accountant, the analyst, the junior lawyer, the customer service team lead. Those are the roles in the firing line.”
He was clear that the ESRI numbers are not a forecast. They are a warning shot. The point is not to argue about whether the figure is 5% or 10%. The point is to act now.
Why Claude Mythos Changes the Game
Two days before the RTE interview, Anthropic released Claude Mythos Preview. Most viewers had never heard of it. Mark explained why it matters.
Claude Mythos is Anthropic’s most advanced model so far. It posts benchmark scores that crush the previous best. It scores 93.9% on SWE-bench Verified, the standard test for software engineering. It scores 97.6% on USAMO 2026, a top maths olympiad benchmark. Its closest competitor sits well below.
The story that made global headlines was security. In testing, Mythos found thousands of zero-day vulnerabilities across major operating systems and browsers. Anthropic decided the model was too powerful to release to the public. They restricted access to a small group of trusted partners, including Microsoft, AWS, Cisco, Nvidia, and CrowdStrike, under a programme called Project Glasswing.
This is the first time in nearly seven years that a leading AI company has held a frontier model back over safety concerns. The last time was OpenAI with GPT-2 in 2019.
Mark made the point that matters for Irish business leaders. The capability ceiling moved up sharply in 72 hours. The version of AI your team used last week is not the version your competitors will use next quarter. If you are still planning around 2024 capabilities, your plan is already wrong.
From Apprentice to Architect: The 5 P’s Framework
This is where Mark turned the conversation from threat to opportunity. He explained the 5 P’s, the framework he uses with boards and C-suite teams across Ireland and beyond.
The 5 P’s of AI Readiness are:
- People. AI literacy across the whole organisation, not just the tech team.
- Process. Workflows redesigned around what AI now does well.
- Platforms. The tools, models, and infrastructure that fit your business.
- Proprietary Data. Your unique data, cleaned, governed, and ready to use.
- Products and Services. New offers built on what AI makes possible.
Mark’s line on RTE was the one that stuck. “Do all five and AI becomes habit, not hype.”
He then explained the apprentice to architect journey. Most workers today are AI apprentices. They use ChatGPT or Claude to draft an email or summarise a document. That is fine, but it is the lowest rung. The next stage is operator, where AI is built into the daily workflow. Then comes builder, where workers create their own tools. The top stage is architect, where workers design the systems their teams and clients depend on.
The ESRI report makes this journey urgent. The roles most at risk are the ones stuck at the apprentice stage. The roles that survive and grow are the ones moving up the ladder.
| Stage | What it looks like | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | Uses AI for one off tasks | High |
| Operator | AI built into daily work | Medium |
| Builder | Creates own AI tools | Low |
| Architect | Designs AI systems for the team | Very low |
What This Means for Employers Right Now
Mark’s call to action for employers was direct. The competitive advantage window is open, but it will not stay open for long.
Three things every Irish employer should do this quarter:
- Run an AI readiness diagnostic across all 5 P’s. Find out where your gaps are. Stop guessing.
- Build AI literacy at board level first, then cascade. If the board cannot ask the right questions, the strategy will be wrong.
- Pick three real workflows and rebuild them with AI in the next 90 days. No pilots that go nowhere. Real work, real outcomes, real numbers.
Mark finished the interview with a line aimed at every business owner watching. “The ESRI report tells you what happens if you do nothing. Claude Mythos tells you how fast the ground is moving. The 5 P’s tell you what to do on Monday morning.”
Why Mark Kelly is the AI Keynote Speaker 2026 Irish Leaders Are Booking
Mark Kelly is one of the most in demand AI keynote speakers in Ireland and beyond. He is the Founder of AI Ireland, the country’s leading AI leadership and education community. He is Co-Founder of Alldus, an international AI and Cyber staffing firm. He is the author of the AI Unleashed series and the host of the AI Ireland podcast.
Mark has delivered board level and C-suite AI sessions for organisations across financial services, manufacturing, hospitality, credit unions, pharmacy, and the public sector. His work is built on the proprietary 5 P’s framework and the jagged frontier concept, with workflow classifications of Augment, Reinvent, and Re-engineer.
He is booked for keynotes, executive briefings, and workshops where the audience needs more than slides. They need a framework they can use the next morning.
FAQs About Booking Mark Kelly as Your AI Keynote Speaker 2026
What topics does Mark Kelly cover as an AI keynote speaker?
Mark covers the future of work, AI strategy for boards, the 5 P’s AI readiness framework, AI governance, AI literacy, agentic AI, and sector specific AI adoption. Every keynote is built around the audience and the outcome the host wants.
Is Mark Kelly available for events outside Ireland?
Yes. Mark speaks at events across Europe and internationally. He delivers keynotes, executive briefings, panel sessions, and full day workshops in person and online.
What makes Mark Kelly different from other AI keynote speakers in 2026?
Mark works with boards and C-suite leaders every week on real AI projects. His keynotes are not theory. They are based on live client work, his proprietary 5 P’s framework, and on the ground experience across Irish industry. He is also the founder of AI Ireland, which gives him a unique view of the national AI landscape.
How far in advance should I book Mark Kelly for an event?
Eight to twelve weeks is ideal. Peak season runs from September to June and dates fill quickly. For high priority events, get in touch as early as possible to lock in your date.
Can Mark tailor his keynote to my industry?
Yes. Every keynote is built for the audience. Mark has delivered tailored sessions for manufacturing, financial services, credit unions, hospitality, golf clubs, pharmacy, and the public sector. Share your sector and event goals and he will build the session around them.
Book Your AI Keynote Speaker 2026
The ESRI report is a wake up call. Claude Mythos is a signal that the pace of change has shifted up a gear. Irish leaders who act now will pull ahead. Those who wait will spend the next three years catching up.
If you want your next conference, board day, or leadership offsite to leave your audience with a clear plan, not just a long list of warnings, book Mark Kelly. He will show your team how to move from apprentice to architect, and how to make AI a habit instead of a headline.
Get in touch today to check Mark’s availability and shape your event:
- Visit markkellyai.com/contact to enquire about booking.
- Or email Mark’s team directly to start the conversation.
Mark Kelly. AI Keynote Speaker 2026. Helping Irish leaders turn AI from hype into habit.
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Mark Kelly delivers evidence-based AI keynotes and hands-on AI leadership workshops for boards, executive teams and conferences across Ireland and Europe.
