Four trends redefining technology, media and telecoms

The global technology, media and telecom sector is changing, driven by geopolitical disruption, the rise of AI and burgeoning cyber risk. Grit Young examines the implications

The technology, media and telecom (TMT) sector is at a decisive turning point globally, driven by accelerating shifts in geopolitics, technology and the workforce.

Four drivers—artificial intelligence (AI), infrastructure scarcity, platform consolidation and cyber risk—are reshaping the TMT market, but Ireland is set to feel their effects sooner than others.

 Trend 1: Sovereign AI drives infrastructure‑first geopolitical shift

The technology and telecommunications sectors are increasingly treating sovereign AI as a practical operating model, supporting self-sufficiency across computing, data, networks and energy.

This shift is redefining the creation and deployment of AI, as competition increasingly focuses on the control of physical assets such as data centres, power, chips and critical minerals, driven by national security and privacy concerns.

Tech companies and telcos are facing stricter localisation requirements, tighter network controls and procurement policies favouring trusted domestic suppliers.

This shift is creating new commercial opportunities—replacing global, one‑size‑fits‑all AI systems with local, multi‑cloud architecture designed to meet national data requirements—and supporting federated learning and cross‑border collaboration.

As a result, countries are starting to treat sovereign AI as a strategic asset, with the advantage going, not just to those that have built sophisticated algorithms, but also to those controlling power systems and critical minerals.

What this means for Ireland: Ireland could become the European test case for the emerging geopolitics of scarcity, caught between our climate commitments and long‑standing dependence on an economic model powered by data centres.

We can expect to see the rise of “physical AI” in the public sector. For example, the Health Service Executive is expected to deploy logistics robots and AI-powered drones to bridge geographic gaps in healthcare and repair critical infrastructure.

The Government also has plans to build a national data centre to house citizens’ data.

In the most radical outcome, Ireland could ration scarce grid capacity for AI projects deemed to serve national interests, such as Irish language or health models.

This could spark a political clash if it is thought to threaten foreign investment priorities, fuelling a broader debate about the importance of national autonomy over global competitiveness.

Trend 2: The rise of the next ‘super bundle’

Following years of fragmentation, the media and entertainment sector—closely linked with technology—now values simplicity as the ultimate competitive advantage.

Consumers want a single, seamless entry point that brings together live TV, premium apps, billing and personalised recommendations.

Studios and broadcast groups are trimming portfolios and forming alliances, while operating systems and device manufacturers consolidate control through ownership of authentication, payments and discovery.

This has prompted a shift in power dynamics, offering users curated content through one interface and bill, while blending live, on‑demand and niche offerings.

As consolidation grows, platform players—from TV and mobile operating system providers to “super apps” led by internet service providers—become gatekeepers of audience access.

The trend is leaning towards the merging of streaming into single apps, but a counter-movement could favour niche communities over oversized bundles.

What this means for Ireland: Ireland is poised to feel this transition earlier and more sharply than many other markets. As ongoing inflation continues to put household budgets under pressure, Irish consumers are consolidating their subscriptions and turning to simpler solutions.

In this environment, telco providers in Ireland could step into dominant roles as super bundle gatekeepers, packaging global streaming services alongside local programming and sports.

At the same time, we can expect to see a rise in highly targeted micro-bundles tailored to the Irish diaspora, delivered through tightly integrated apps.

Public broadcasters, like RTÉ, could shift from scheduled channels to pure content libraries. These libraries would plug directly into global operating systems and AI-driven discovery engines, fundamentally changing how Irish audiences find and consume media.

Trend 3: The growing gap in cyber security and AI defence

AI is reshaping cyber security, impacting the telecommunications and software sectors.

While telcos rely on AI to run smarter, more efficient networks, attackers can use the same tools to move faster, automating reconnaissance, generating convincing deepfakes and exploiting vulnerabilities at scale.

The next frontier will be “self‑healing” security, whereby AI systems can spot threats, patch themselves and isolate compromised components in real time.

To keep up, telcos must adopt responsible AI practices across governance, red teaming, provenance and human oversight.

Software providers will also begin to build autonomous remediation directly into their products.

What this means for Ireland: These challenges are particularly acute in the Irish market. To comply with NIS2, the European Union’s cybersecurity directive, and stay ahead of automated threats, Irish organisations must invest in AI-powered, self-healing security tools.

Trend 4: Agentic AI and the death of traditional discovery

AI assistants are increasingly becoming active agents, not passive tools. They act on what people want, not on what they click.

These agents move smoothly across content, services and shopping. As they do this, the old discovery journey breaks down.

Search boxes, menus and funnels matter less. The media and marketing worlds feel this shift first because the interface is no longer where decisions happen.

Brands now need to be understood by machines before they are understood by people. This means there is a greater need for clear data, structured information and offers that AI can read without effort.

At the same time, the telecom sector is starting to see a change in network patterns, as AI agents generate many tiny bursts of traffic as they negotiate, compare and transact on our behalf.

What this means for Ireland: More than 70 percent of senior Irish leaders are already using or planning to use AI agents. This will likely prompt a shift, in the creative and media sectors, away from content production and towards “agent optimisation”—making sure brands can be discovered and recommended by bots.

This means cultural nuance will matter more, as predictive creative tools attune to local festivals, sport and humour.

As brands move towards machine-readable offers and verified data feeds, visual ads could lose impact, reducing the need for investment in advertising technology.

Ireland could gain in new areas, however, such as agent-to-agent commerce and compliance-heavy AI operations. Its alignment with EU regulation could become a strategic advantage here.

Transformation ahead

The TMT sector faces a transformative decade ahead, shaped by key drivers, such as sovereign AI, infrastructure scarcity and tighter digital geopolitics.

In Ireland, these shifts will converge sharply, reshaping infrastructure policy, media consumption, cybersecurity readiness and future AI‑driven skills.

Grit Young is Partner and Technology, Media and Entertainment and Telecommunications Industry Leader at EY Ireland