Client: Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny
Event: AI Master Series 2026: Understanding AI
Format: In-person keynote with live demonstration
Audience: Small business owners and managers in County Kilkenny
Date and venue: Wednesday 23 September 2026, Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny

The challenge

Small business owners know AI matters. Most do not have the time, budget or technical team to work out where to start.

Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny wanted a session that would:

  • Explain AI in plain language, with no hype.
  • Show practical uses that a small business can try straight away.
  • Help owners judge when AI is the right tool, and when it is not.

The approach

  1. Three waves of AI. Mark showed how AI has moved from Ask (chatbots) to Work (reasoning assistants) to Delegate (AI agents), so owners could see why AI suddenly feels different.
  2. Three levels of AI in a small business. Fast answers, a work partner, and AI that works for you. Owners placed themselves on the ladder and picked their next step.
  3. Start with the work, not the tool. What takes too long, what gets repeated and what creates mistakes. That is where AI helps first.
  4. Live demonstration. The same question asked cold and then with a short brief about the business, to show how much context changes the answer.
  5. Being found by AI. Why customers now ask AI for answers, and what a business should publish so it shows up.
  6. When not to use AI. Clear guidance on data to keep out, answers to check, and where human judgement must stay in charge.

The result

“Mark delivered an excellent presentation providing an overview of AI, focusing on its practical uses in the business setting and how to become an AI-Ready business. The attendees were empowered and learned about when to use AI but also, when not to use it.”

Catherine Hennessy, Senior Enterprise Development Officer, Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny

What made it work

  • Plain English. No jargon, so every owner in the room could follow.
  • Practical first. Every idea came with something to try on Monday.
  • Balanced. The session covered the limits and risks of AI, not just the benefits.

Book a session like this

Mark delivers practical AI sessions for Local Enterprise Offices, chambers of commerce, business networks and leadership teams across Ireland. Check availability or read the blog recap of this session. See the Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny for upcoming training.