Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Three weeks ago, I asked the Taoiseach to set up an Oireachtas committee on the issue of AI. He said "No" and that he has no responsibility for the issue. This is a big mistake because this issue is of such importance that we need the whole of the Oireachtas working towards it. We talk about minute procedural issues, which affect nobody, forever and a day in this House, yet the biggest issue looming in society at the moment is AI and we just have this debate on it. While I welcome it, it is not nearly enough.

The Minister of State's speech was so pro AI you would think it was generated by AI. That might sought outlandish, but it is interesting that in the previous Dáil I received a reply on retrofitting from the former Minister, Eamon Ryan, in ancient Greek. You can bet your bottom dollar that he did not generate that particular answer himself. AI obviously offers solutions but there are significant threats to society in relation to it. The Minister of State mentioned that it can potentially help in climate change but there is no doubt that AI will be a significant element in making climate change worse. It is an extremely energy-thirsty sector that will radically increase the number of data centres that have to be created throughout the country.

AI is also a threat to democracy. It will enhance the manipulation of people. Deepfakes and misinformation will significantly distort the operation of a democracy. It will be impossible for people to know what is real and what is not real in democracies in future. It is not an equal opportunities technology. It is only in the hands of those who can afford it. The Internet has already radically transformed the way our society runs. For example, a fire was lit under the Arab Spring by social media, which led to large wars and large movements of people. Social media is already rewiring the brains of children and young people alike and driving people's emotions through algorithms. We have no idea what AI will do in terms of all of that. It is a significant threat to the labour force. It will wipe out many jobs in an uncontrolled manner. Music, art, creativity and education are all under significant threat.

AI is not being driven by democratic needs but by commercial needs. It does not have a moral compass. It is like nuclear power in many ways. It depends on the hands of the people it is in. Like nuclear power, it has a significant increase in severity in respect of humanity. We are treating it as a fait accompli. This is a mistake. We need to put AI under the democratic control of nation states.

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