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Helen Downes, CEO, Shannon Chamber (3rd left) pictured with the Deloitte team at the seminar in Westpark Innovation Campus (from left): Eoin Comerford, analyst, technology, and transformation; Gary Corley, managing director, cyber security; Kate Sugrue, director, technology and transformation; Ron Doyle, partner, aviation finance, tax and legal and; Dan Kamran, team lead, counter adversary operations, CrowdStrike.

Shannon Chamber member companies operating in the aviation sector were given a fast-paced review of the rapidly evolving intersection of aviation, artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity at a seminar delivered in collaboration with Deloitte, and featuring insights from global cyber security leader, Crowdstrike.

Speakers at the seminar included Deloitte’s Ron Doyle, partner, aviation finance, tax and legal; Kate Sugrue, director, technology and transformation; Eoin Comerford, analyst, technology, and transformation; Gary Corley, managing director, cyber security and Dan Kamran, team lead, counter adversary operations, CrowdStrike.

Attendees heard that while AI access has surged, a significant transformation divide remains. While AI is delivering measurable value across aviation leasing and operations, from automation document analysis to enhancing decision-making through advanced data insights, adoption remains uneven.

Sharing some interesting trends from a recent Deloitte survey, attendees heard that while worker access has increased 50% in one year, fewer than 60% with access use AI daily. Only 25% have moved 40%+ of AI experiments to production but 54% expect to reach that milestone in the next 3-6 months.

Just 34% are deeply transforming their business with AI – for new products, reimagined processes, new models – the other 66% are optimising what already exists, thereby missing the real competitive edge. 84% haven’t redesigned jobs around AI, despite expecting 36% of roles to be fully automated within a year. This mismatch, the speakers advised, will create friction.

Organisations are still grappling with moving from experimentation to full-scale deployment. Governance, talent, and alignment with business strategy were identified as critical barriers to unlocking AI’s full potential.

The seminar examined the evolution from traditional machine learning to generative and agentic AI, where systems are capable of autonomous decision-making to achieve complex objectives. However, it was emphasised that while ‘computer in the loop’ offers speed through automation, ‘human in the loop’ remains critical for high-stake aviation decisions, such as aircraft maintenance and lease pricing adjustments.

Cybersecurity featured alongside AI in the seminar with Crowdstrike’s Dan Kamran alerting attendees to the dual treat of AI.

“AI is a weapon for adversaries; it expands the attack surface for an enterprise,” he stated.

Advising that the number of attack adversaries continues to grow, Kamran said that the average breakout time – the speed at which attackers move laterally after the initial breach – has dropped from 48 minutes to just 29 minutes, underscoring the need for faster detection and response capabilities.

With ransomware now the most disruptive cyber threat facing the aviation sector, with a 134% increase in attacks from specific groups like PUNK SPIDER, attendees were urged to adopt robust guardrails and governance before scaling new technologies.

Commenting on the value of a seminar of this nature, Shannon Chamber CEO Helen Downes said: “With Ireland such a key player in the global aviation leasing industry, reinforcing the importance of robust cybersecurity frameworks, regulatory compliance, and industry collaboration is key for us as a business representative organisation.

“Understanding that while AI offers significant competitive advantage and it continues to evolve, the aviation sector faces the dual challenge of harnessing its transformative power while also fending off increasingly intelligent cyber treats. Delivering seminars which share expert-led critical information of this nature, is an important part of our offer to members,” added Ms Downes.

Further information on Shannon Chamber’s upcoming events and training can be found at www.shannonchamber.ie/events-training/