Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Tá muid réidh le tosú le ráitis maidir le hintleacht shaorga, IS, a bharrfheabhsú don mhaith choitianta sa ghnó, sa gheilleagar agus sa tsochaí i gcoitinne. We are now moving on to statements on maximising AI for our greater good in business, in the economy and in wider society. I call the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth, to make the opening statement.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I am pleased to take the floor of the House today as Ireland’s first Minister of State who has artificial intelligence, AI, in their title. We are living in a time of great change, unpredictability and opportunity. I am determined that my mandate as Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment will deliver and maximise the benefits of AI for our businesses, the economy and society more broadly. The opportunities presented by AI are not like previous technological advances. The speed and pace of progress is completely unprecedented. The potential for transformative impacts on our society and economy for our collective good is unparalleled. AI’s ability to analyse data, recognise patterns and provide insights has reshaped the way we work and live.

The use of AI in smartphone technology has grown rapidly in recent years and is an example to most of us of how we can relate to it. AI-powered personal assistants such as Siri and Google Assistant have become a staple diet of many people’s daily lives. In my few short weeks as Minister of State, I have already learned there are massive opportunities for using AI to benefit the economy and wider society across various sectors. AI presents opportunities for beneficial impacts including in the delivery of public services, weather forecasting, healthcare, scientific discovery, sustainability, agriculture, transport and mobility.

I will take a minute to emphasise some of these opportunities. First, the use and application of AI technology has great potential to help to solve challenges in healthcare. We are seeing exciting strides in areas such as robotic surgery, the diagnosing of blood diseases and cancers and the analysing of medical images. Second, AI is being used to improve energy efficiency and predict energy demands and can, therefore, help us to address sustainability and climate action. AI is being deployed to monitor and reduce carbon emissions. AI contributes significantly to climate action by enabling data-driven environmental monitoring, optimising energy and consumption and supporting sustainable practices across industries. Smart grids powered by AI can balance energy demand and supply in real time, increasing energy efficiency and contributing to the fight against climate change.

Another important use of AI is in agriculture, which is an area in which there are incredible applications, such as predicting disease outbreaks in herds through AI-enabled data analytics. AI tools are being used to monitor crop health and optimise farming practices. The potential efficiencies are huge.

Improving delivery of public sector services for our citizens is another important opportunity. Strong digital government brings significant public value benefits to the wider economy as well as to the communities and businesses with which the public service engages. These are just a few examples of the opportunities and benefits. Its potential reach is vast. That is why the Government developed a national AI strategy in 2021 called AI - Here for Good. The strategy serves as a roadmap for how Ireland can leverage the potential of AI for unlocking productivity, addressing societal changes and delivering public services. It envisages a future for Ireland as an international leader in using AI to the benefit of businesses, public services and, most importantly, for people through a human-centred, ethical approach to AI development, adoption and use.

A refresh of the AI strategy was published in November 2024 by my predecessor, the Minister, Deputy Calleary, when he was the Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The refresh takes account of the significant developments in AI technology and regulation, namely, the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022 which predicted a massive acceleration in AI technologies that are available to consumers and businesses. Second, the AI Act was enacted in August 2024 and therefore, the parameters of the regulation of the use of AI in the EU are now clear. The refresh of the national AI strategy builds on the solid foundations in place and aims to balance innovation with proportionate regulation and trust-building measures.

While the benefits of AI are clear, there are also important ethical and societal implications that must be considered. Issues such as privacy, security and job displacement are just a few of the challenges that are coming with the increasing use of AI. It is crucial we address these concerns proactively and work to ensure AI is used for the betterment of society. That is why building public trust and putting appropriate guardrails in place is a priority focus of the Government’s AI strategy.

In respect of the Government’s ambition for enterprise, embracing AI and digital technologies is crucial for our continued economic growth and prosperity. A competitive, innovative and resilient enterprise base is essential to provide high-quality jobs and employment opportunities for people to live and prosper in all regions. Obviously, that will hopefully help to bring better regional development throughout the country on the island of Ireland. AI will help business to achieve this. We have clear goals in this regard. We want at least 75% of enterprises in Ireland to be using the cloud, AI and data analytics by 2030. According to the statistics published by the CSO last Friday, AI adaptation in Ireland rose from 8% of enterprises in 2023 to 14.9% in 2024. While these figures are promising and growing, it is not enough. We need to encourage more businesses to adopt AI by ensuring the necessary enablers are in place.

Strand 3 of the refresh of the national AI strategy sets out our appropriate approach to drive AI in Irish enterprises. One of the biggest opportunities around AI deployment is in the bridging of the productivity gap in our indigenous SMEs. Generative AI and AI assistants offer huge opportunities to drive efficiencies, particularly in the context of micro-enterprises and SMEs. To support the adoption of AI by micro-enterprises and small businesses, my Department has developed and launched the grow digital portal, which is now available at growdigital.gov.ie. We want all businesses to get on board with technology. To put it simply, if we can encourage more AI adoption, it will help to save business owners time and money and make them more competitive. That is why eligibility for the grow digital vouchers offered by the local enterprise offices, LEOs, has been widened, expanding eligible expenditure and doubling the grant to €5,000, or 50% of expenditure. It is being extended to all businesses, regardless of their export status, with up to 50 employees.

The LEOs have introduced the digital for business consultancy scheme that provides expert digital consultants to help businesses with up to 50 employees to explore technology adoption opportunities. While technology companies are obviously readily adopting new technologies, most of my focus and the Department’s focus is on driving increased usage of AI in the non-tech sectors and in domestically trading businesses. They are obviously the ones that will need the most help and support. These include showcasing potential benefits to their businesses. The use of role models and case studies that business owners can relate to is a good way of encouraging business owners to consider technology that is good and fit for purpose. The grow digital portal has a case study catalogue with digital success stories showcasing how different non-tech businesses have embraced digital solutions to boost their operations.

We are promoting these case studies across social media to reach as many businesses as we can on LEOs' websites and the Department's website. The enterprise agencies will also continue to provide and enhance a level of targeted support, training and advice to businesses to drive the adoption and deployment of AI systems across all sectors. I emphasise that businesses have a very important role to play in showing we can use AI to develop better, trustworthy, more efficient products and services and increased values for consumers.

Another important support is CeADAR, Ireland's centre for applied AI, which is based in UCD. It is a key part of our ecosystem as our European digital innovation hub for AI and as an Enterprise Ireland and IDA technology centre. It acts as the bridge between the worlds of applied research in AI and data analytics and their commercial deployment by businesses. I encourage all my colleagues across the House to look at the upskilling and training opportunities available through CeADAR. It recently launched an online course, AI for You: Introduction to AI and the EU AI Act, which will increase awareness of AI and support adoption of AI by both the public and private sectors.

While I have described how this technology can be deployed in every business and across our regions, it is important to recall that we connect to a wider, rapidly changing economic landscape. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has set a goal for the EU to become a global leader in AI innovation as an AI continent. I know our guests in the Visitors Gallery will be delighted to hear that. Our national approach is strongly aligned with this ambition. Ireland's excellent research and innovation ecosystem is a key driver for our economic development and international competitiveness.

The Government is committed to maintaining a good balance of investment across the spectrum from fundamental to market-oriented research. A strong ecosystem for fundamental AI research through collaborations between universities, research institutions and industry is an essential foundation for breakthroughs in AI technologies and a healthy AI sector. Equally important is a research ecosystem which supports applied AI and the rapid deployment and commercialisation of AI technologies. This includes support for startups, incubators and accelerators that bring AI solutions to the market. Ireland has a number of excellent AI research facilities. The Government provides a range of funding programmes to support collaboration between industry, research and academia through which AI-related projects are funded. These include Enterprise Ireland innovation vouchers, innovation partnerships, technology centres and gateways, Knowledge Transfer Ireland and the Technology Transfer Office Network. Despite this, the ecosystem would benefit from greater coherence. Our strategy commits to unifying the goals of the various AI research centres and creating a centralised national AI research nexus.

The intention is to increase the potential of Ireland's research community to deliver serious and significant impact in the global AI landscape. I also want to mention skills because every significant technology advancement brings changes to the labour market and the demand for skills - this is probably where the most concern and resistance may occur - and AI is no different in that regard. With AI set to transform a wide range of industries and occupations, skills will play an important part in our success. Our range of digital upskilling and reskilling initiatives, including those available via Skillnet Ireland, SpringBoard+ and future human capital initiatives, will be expanded as part of the refresh AI strategy. Enterprise will need to be proactive in upskilling its workforce to develop AI skills and knowledge necessary to leverage the technology. By continuing to invest in upskilling opportunities, we can unlock the true potential of Ireland's workforce and ensure we remain a highly active location to do business well into the future.

Our ambition is that the adoption of AI will result in safer, more productive workplaces where workers are empowered but not replaced by AI tools. For example, AI will be able to take over repetitive and dangerous tasks for workers. The development of a whole-of-government approach to skills policy, including through the establishment of a new national skills council, is under way. The Government will also update the 2022 study on AI skills for the expert group on future skills needs as part of the programme on technology skills.

Safety and security are central to trust. For this reason, the landmark EU AI Act, which is the world's first comprehensive regulation establishing guardrails for the safe use of AI, will play a critical role in providing reassurance and unlocking the benefit of AI. The EU AI Act is designed to achieve this by introducing clear and proportionate rules and guardrails for the development and use of safe, ethical and humancentric AI systems. My Department will lead on the national implementation of the Act. We are currently working closely with other Departments to devise the optimal configuration of competent authorities to ensure comprehensive and robust implementation of the Act. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will bring a memorandum to the Government over the coming weeks setting out the proposed approach.

The AI Act's risk-based approach means that only those systems which could pose high risks in areas such as health, safety and fundamental rights will be subject to its rules and obligations. The vast majority of AI systems will not be subject to any regulation systems under the AI Act. In parallel with the rules to mitigate the risks of harm from AI systems, the AI Act contains measures to support innovation with a particular focus on the needs and constraints of SMEs, including startups. The Act provides simplified ways of compliance for SMEs. The interests of SMEs will be represented in the development of standards under the Act. The European Commission must regularly assess the certification and compliance costs for SMEs and work with member states to lower such costs. Member states must be provided priority access to the AI regulatory sandboxes for SMEs. Member states must establish dedicated channels for communication to support SMEs throughout their development by providing guidance and responding to queries during the implementation of this regulation. Penalties for infringements of the AI Act must take into account the interests of SMEs and their economic viability. These are all the ways that the needs of SMEs have been given priority in the Act.

I wish to conclude on a note of empowerment. AI technology is developing rapidly but it is not something that is happening to us passively. AI is a horizontal general-purpose technology that is widely applicable to a range of sectors. As such, it is for us to consider the impact on our own interests and priorities. We can ensure AI continues to play a positive role in our world by improving lives and creating a better future for generations to come. AI is here and it is here for good.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I wonder whether AI could help us to get a copy of the Minister of State's speech.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I am sure it can. My apologies.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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That would be very helpful.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State. I wish her the best of luck in her new role. I also congratulate the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for the work he has done in this area. I know the Minister of State will acknowledge that we are still behind the curve. I welcome some of the initiatives she has put forward and made us aware of today. I would also like a copy of her speech. It is very important that we all work together on this. It is a huge challenge but also a huge opportunity for us. In respect of the Oireachtas and how we could use AI ourselves, can the Minister of State ensure we are not blocked from using it in any way? Can this be facilitated? We all need to be up to speed on how it works, what it can do and how we can access training courses online if we need to do so. If our technology prevents us from doing that, this is a barrier. It is incumbent on the Irish Government to explore strategies for maximising the potential of artificial intelligence to benefit businesses, the economy and society at large, as the Minister of State has said.

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has recommended that Ireland should establish an advisory forum consisting of civil society organisations with fundamental rights and expertise in trade unions, as well as people who are often at the receiving end of AI deployment, such as teachers, artists and actors. Has the Government taken this on board?

AI has transformative potential but to truly harness it for the greater good, its integration must be thoughtfully managed, equitably distributed and aligned with broader social goals. It is imperative that this Government builds up in-house expertise on AI. Otherwise we will be exposed to external influences, sometimes with contrary agendas. We talk all the time about the damage that has been done in contracting out. The Minister of State has probably read The Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens our Businesses, Infantilizes our Governments and Warps our Economies, which is about how we have contracted out so much decision making and expertise that used to be within Government but no longer is there. AI is an area where we really need to build up expertise. Have we initiated a recruitment drive to get the brightest and the best to work for Government in maximising opportunities and mitigating risks involved with AI? That is really important.

I also have a question about access to the national training fund and the great mystery of where this fund is - I think it is about €1.5 billion - and how we can tap into that. Will the Minister of State find out whether the national training fund can be used because I can think of no better area than this one to make a major investment into AI so that we are ahead of the curve? Will she come back to us on that because it seems to have eluded us all for many years? I do not think it is fair that businesses are contributing to the national training fund and building it up when they cannot get access to it. It is important that it be made accessible to businesses and for training.

AI technologies such as automation, predictive analytics and machine learning can streamline business operations and reduce costs. We need to very much enable that when we talk about the geopolitical situation and the threats to businesses. We must be able to facilitate business to be able to access things and we must be mindful of smaller businesses that do not have time. I have just met with the Small Firms Association. Let us not make it complicated, let us get rid of bureaucracy and let us make it accessible to businesses that are already time-poor and are struggling to survive.

AI also enables more precise decision making through data analysis and helping organisations to spot trends, forecast demand and optimise inventory management. There are significant possibilities. AI has significant potential to transform businesses and drive economic growth and it is awfully important that this be done on an all-island basis. Let us do this to enable all of our island to prosper regardless of whatever tradition one is - IBEC operates on an all-island basis as does Tourism Ireland - to enhance prosperity and equality of opportunity across the island. I have a lot more to say on AI but my time is up.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Tá AI linn agus cé go bhfuil leas le baint as, tá baoil ag baint leis freisin. Ar aon chaoi, tá sé ag tarlúint agus caithfimid cinnte a dhéanamh de go bhfuil ár bpolasaithe réidh le déileáil leis ó thaobh cúrsaí oideachais agus fostaíochta de agus ó thaobh seirbhísí poiblí agus go leor gnéithe eile. AI is a reality. It is pushing forward at a relentless pace. There are areas about which we would be concerned but there are also significant opportunities and potential for improving the quality of our public services as well as delivering economic growth so it must be carefully managed. We need a strategy for it. We are probably a bit behind the curve in that regard.

There is a need for the State to get ahead of developments in the AI space, to shape its direction of travel at a national and European level, to exploit the economic opportunities of AI, to harness its positive power and to legislate, where necessary, to protect workers and society. AI is not brand new. It is a technology which has existed for some time. However, the pace, scale and nature of its growth is close to being exponential. The speed of breakthroughs seems to surprise even those involved in the sector and the industries working with it.

The job of politicians is to keep pace with the technology and where it is going. It was for this reason that Sinn Féin previously called for the establishment of a forum on AI with a specific focus on the technological surveillance of workers using artificial intelligence and machine learning to establish the benefits and risks of it. When she was spokesperson in this area, Deputy Louise O'Reilly said that the national risk assessment highlights the need to focus on securing future economic opportunities in emerging knowledge-intensive sectors. The national risk assessment for Ireland 2024 makes clear the delicate balance of opportunities and threats due to technological advancement. The report states that while emerging technology will bring many opportunities, they also bring threats in terms of social cohesion and inequality. It is essential that State agencies such as the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence analyse, investigate and navigate the risks that accompany emerging technologies. This will also include the trade union movement. If one is talking about reducing the amount of labour that is involved in a process, that has implications for employees. While there is benefit from productivity, there are issues in terms of displacement of jobs and this needs to be reckoned with. We cannot adopt a position that this must be rejected and the rest of the world is going to march on in any event but we need to give clear consideration as to how we ensure that jobs are insulated to the greatest extent possible and that new opportunities are created off the back of this as well.

There are also significant social and economic opportunities to be gained from emerging technologies. State economic agencies like IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, and local enterprise offices need to seize on the opportunities that exist, particularly in knowledge-intensive sectors such as decarbonisation, clean tech, renewables, AI, machine learning, quantum computing, cell and gene therapy and other forms of advanced personalised medicine. Through doing this, we believe the State can minimise risk, maximise opportunity and put the economy on the front foot for the coming decades. There is a need for the State to get ahead of this, to exploit the economic opportunities that exist and to legislate, where necessary, to protect workers and society.

The direction of travel in education in recent years requires a certain amount of consideration. The playing pitch has changed. Many of the things we would have been examining still require examination but there is potential for discrepancies between our primary and secondary system and universities in terms of what is and is not permitted. We need a serious conversation about the skills we are trying to learn and whether we want people emerging from our education system who are the best at being able to manage AI or whether there are other types of skills. I am not being prescriptive in terms of solutions but it is a consideration. The other consideration is energy usage. Data centres need to be considered.

Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein)
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There is no doubt that AI is developing at a rapid pace and the technology has the potential to change the way we live, engage with each other, work and play. AI will affect different facets of our lives and has the potential to bring a number of benefits. I have seen programmes about how AI has improved the speed of the development of new medicines saving lives and costing less in development. Other areas include life-saving technology such as vehicle and airline safety. AI is found in most of our electrical household items. People are using AI in so many positive ways. Students, teachers, academics and even we as public representatives are using it on a regular basis outside the technology we have in Leinster House. No, I did not use it to write this speech. I did it myself through old-fashioned research.

In business, the list of opportunities for AI will be endless. Its use in shops, manufacturing, sales, insurance, finance and law is happening as we speak. Like all developing technology, it also poses a number of risks. We simply do not know all the risks at this stage, however, we can be fairly sure that jobs that are here now will be gone. They will be consigned to the history books like those of the coopers about whom we now sing who used to work in Guinness and other breweries.

Their jobs have now been consigned to history. I am originally from the north inner city, an area that was destroyed by containerisation. Thousands of jobs were destroyed overnight. That led to decades of mass unemployment, poverty and deprivation, and into the heroin epidemic of the 1980s. These are the things we have to consider and we must be careful when we look at technology like this.

In recent years, there has been a movement to address AI through various policy initiatives and regulation in different jurisdictions, including in Ireland. Significantly, there has been an important move towards regulating AI within the European Union in the form of the EU AI Act, which entered into force on 1 August 2024. The precise impact of this Act on AI in Ireland remains to be seen but, as a binding regulation, the EU AI Act will have important implications for Ireland as it will shape our country's approach to AI in the future.

I today came across the following three questions that I think are important. How can we massively develop artificial intelligence technologies and uses across the world? How can we ensure nobody is left behind and preserve freedoms in the AI revolution? How can we ensure that uses of artificial intelligence respect our humanist values and the technology serves society and the public interest? The simplest and soundest answer I came up with was regulation, regulation, regulation.

Professor Gregory O'Hare is a professor of AI and the head of the school of computer science and statistics in Trinity College Dublin, TCD. He has acknowledged the difficulty of legislating for such a vast evolving area. He said at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment:

I do not think the legislative framework we have at the moment is in a position to be able to respond with the speed that we need. Things are starting to present themselves that have not previously been considered because they did not need to be considered.

[...]

It is difficult to legislate for something that is so difficult to even define. We need to move rapidly. Even the speed at which we are moving at a European level is not sufficient. The boundaries around this technology are not governed by political or geographic barriers.

In an interview with The Irish Timesin February last year, Dr. Patricia Scanlon said:

We all admit how powerful this technology is and anything that powerful needs to be regulated. I think anybody arguing against that doesn't really have very strong legs to stand on because the "it's for the benefit of society" argument and that "trust us" attitude didn't really work very well with social media.

We all know the positives of social media, which include the connections that people make. However, we also know the dangers of social media and the harm it is causing, particularly to the mental health of our younger generation.

I will touch on the impact on the environment, as Deputy Ó Laoghaire mentioned. The processing of data is very resource-intensive. I will give the House two statistics. Each MWh of energy requires the consumption of 7,100 l of water. A simple request for a 100-word email generated by an AI chatbot using GPT-4 requires 0.14 kWh of electricity. That is equal to the electricity required to light 14 LED lightbulbs for one hour. That is for a 100-word email.

AI is important. It is coming; in fact, it is here. It is something we need to regulate. We must look after our society.

George Lawlor (Wexford, Labour)
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I am sharing time with Deputy Ahern. I am delighted to contribute to this important debate, which is one that my county colleague, Deputy Malcolm Byrne, has been seeking for some time. I am delighted to be a part of the discussion on a topic that is reshaping our world at an unprecedented pace. As we navigate this transformative era, it is crucial that we harness the power of AI not just for profit but for the greater good of our businesses, economy and society as a whole.

We in the Labour Party recognise the potential benefits of AI and believe that new technology should be embraced. Crucially, though, AI must be seen to be used as a tool to improve people's working lives and not just to replace them. A robust regulatory framework is crucial. It is essential that regulators are well-resoured to handle compliance efficiently and to establish Ireland as a leader in AI governance. We must ensure that workers benefit from each new technological breakthrough. One of the key challenges will be to ensure that a system is in place to allow the gains of AI advancement and proliferation to be fairly distributed rather than being concentrated at the top.

Al in the workplace must benefit workers as much as it benefits businesses. It cannot be treated simply as a tool to increase margins. A human-centric, rights-based approach must be adopted. A recent OECD report found that workers are more likely to report positive impacts of Al in the workplace if there has been a consultation process through their trade unions. Workers' voices must be heard as Al increasingly permeates our workplaces. We must be cognisant of the fact that Al is already creating technological displacement, where workers' jobs are becoming automated, and will inevitably continue to become so. Investment in continuous professional development, lifelong learning and a strong social protection system will be key to mitigating the negative effects. It is absolutely vital that the human in control principle is incorporated into law at the EU level.

We must also harness the enormous benefits and opportunities provided by Al, such as in speeding up diagnosis and treatment in healthcare settings and in liberating workers from mundane or unpleasant tasks. We in the Labour Party are concerned about the growth in monitoring through Al applications and in work surveillance. The use of Al and algorithmic management must be regulated and its use in recruitment, remuneration and day-to-day supervision must be limited. Statutory protections against such practices must be introduced.

Whether it is ordering a takeaway, getting shopping delivered or a taxi home from a night out, online platforms have transformed the way we live. Platform work must be regulated in line with the EU platform work directive, and gig and platform workers must have access to information about their pay. The Government must legislate to ensure transparency in algorithmic management and to recognise platform workers as full employees, not contractors, and afford them all the associated benefits and protections.

The inclusive transformation of our public services and economy through the benefits of digitalisation and Al are vital. The removal of the digital divide and the embedding of AI skills and innovation to position Ireland as a global leader are also vital. We proposed and believe there should be a stand-alone Department of digital and communications, to include AI, initially paired with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science under one Minister. We must strive to position Ireland as a leader in all aspects of the digital transformation, from skills to chips, cloud computing to Al. It is our belief that the State must proactively invest in artificial intelligence applications through the strategic investment and development bank. The rights of creators and copyright must be respected as provided for in the EU Al Act and controls must be placed on the creation and use of deepfakes, and the protection of the democratic process from the abuse and misuse of Al in the electoral process is absolutely imperative. Maintaining online trust in all digital processes is essential to our social, political and economic futures. Safeguarding our information in a world where AI is ever-growing is of vital concern and we believe that an independent review of the Data Protection Commission to investigate the measures needed to strengthen and reform its functions, and ensure it is adequately resourced and proactive in enforcing EU AI rules, is essential.

There is little doubt that maximising Al for our greater good requires a collective effort. To ensure this happens, it is imperative that we embrace the transformative power of Al in business, the economy and society. Strengthening these areas will also underpin future growth in areas such as financial services and intellectual property management, which rely on a strong technological framework and secure networks. Let us decide to prioritise ethical practices, invest in education and reskilling, and use and leverage Al to solve complex challenges. If we do this, we can ensure that Al serves as a tool for progress, innovation and equity. It is up to all of us to shape artificial intelligence in a way that benefits everyone.

Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I welcome this debate. Now and in the years to come, AI and how we effectively use and regulate it will be one of the key challenges we face as legislators.

As my colleague, Deputy Lawlor, has said, there is enormous potential for Al to have a really transformative and positive impact for workers if it is applied in a fair manner and everyone can benefit from it. It is crucial that Al does not just become another way for big businesses to bump up their profits. I echo Deputy Lawlor’s point that we must take a human-centred approach to all this.

I will focus my remarks on the climate element in the debate on Al. It has been suggested by some in the tech sector that Al has a massive role to play in helping us to address the climate crisis and that the positives of Al will outweigh the negatives. I do not doubt that it certainly can have some impact in helping us with things like tracking extreme weather events or identifying areas of environmental or biodiversity concern, but I am not sold on the argument that Al is the answer to all our climate problems. The core issue right now is whether these potentially positive applications of Al outweigh the negatives in terms of the level of energy it consumes. The reality is that using an Al tool like ChatGPT takes an enormous amount of energy. A search on ChatGPT uses around ten times more energy than a Google search. AI is proliferating rapidly and, with it, the ever-growing need for data centres. We really do need to concern ourselves with the amount of energy it uses and how this affects not just our energy security and the cost of electricity for ordinary people, but also our climate ambitions. It is in this context that I was extremely concerned by the proposed new rules regarding data centres published by the CRU yesterday. Quite frankly, the new rules fly in the face of our climate goals. Ideally, and this is something we in the Labour Party have called for consistently, we would have a moratorium on new data centres, at least until we can be sure that they will not pose a threat to or put pressure on our grid or pose a threat to our climate targets.

Nonetheless, the Government seems content to plough ahead with them. It it is welcome that data centres will be required to power themselves rather than taking power from the national grid but it is hugely concerning that there is nothing in the proposed rules to state that their power sources must be clean, renewable, sustainable sources. We know that data centres consume enormous amounts of energy. Currently 50% of electricity produced in Dublin and Meath is going to data centres and more than a fifth of the total amount of electricity used in Ireland is going to data centres. The latter percentage is projected to grow to up to 30% over the next few years. That is more electricity usage than all the homes in the country, yet there is nothing in the draft rules to state that data centres must be powered with clean energy. What is stopping data centres from importing and using more dirty fuel at precisely the time we should be moving away from this? The CRU must clarify in the finalised rules that data centres have to power themselves using sustainable, renewable sources. The growth in Al use will inevitably mean that the already high consumption of energy in data centres grows further, so proper regulatory and legislative frameworks must be put in place now to ensure that they do not impact on our vital climate targets.

Given that the Government seems intent on green-lighting more data centres, we need to start looking seriously at using the waste heat they generate. The Tallaght district heating scheme in my own constituency of Dublin South-West uses waste heat from a nearby data centre to heat council buildings and the TU Dublin Tallaght campus. It has been hugely successful. The model is already there. It is welcome that plans are in place in South Dublin County Council to roll out district heating in more areas and to start heating affordable homes elsewhere in the constituency. We need to see more of that, and I urge the Government to use the Tallaght model to roll out district heating and heat capture from data centres to other areas.

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for giving us time to discuss this very important issue. AI is something that is constantly talked about but I always find when I discuss it with constituents, there tends to be a mix of attitudes. Some people think it will be great and we will be able to save lots of time, while among others there is a mixture of fear and mostly uncertainty about how it will impact them and, as other speakers have highlighted, how it will impact people’s industries and jobs and their children’s futures. What should children study to deal with this future and totally uncertain world? That is one reason I wanted to speak on this topic today. During my time as a lecturer in TU Dublin we encountered the dramatic impact that the arrival of ChatGPT had on us and our students. My colleagues and I were suddenly faced with a situation whereby assignments that would normally take a couple of hours, days or even weeks to research, prepare and write could be done with a few clicks through some online interface. In those early iterations, it was quite easy for me and my colleagues to identify the use of things like ChatGPT. Other artificial intelligence providers are available, as my students discovered. We were able to identify this quite clearly. We have heard about the hallucinations, where it was just completely making stuff up. We could spot those things quite quickly, being experts in our fields. In addition, in the early iterations the language was quite clunky. It struggled, and still struggles – which is why my fellow Deputy wrote his own speech – because they are not very good at Irish English at all and one certainly could not rely on that. However, these tools are increasing in sophistication all the time and that was continuing to be a challenge for us. I welcome, therefore, that the programme for Government includes a plan to develop a policy for dealing with artificial intelligence in the area of education. That is very welcome.

I would also like to highlight the positives. Our students are actually quite smart. After a while, they figured out that they could not just put the stuff in, get it and submit it because we are smart too and could spot it, so they learned how to use the tool. Like many other tools we have and all the new technologies that have come along, it has become a tool that students can use effectively. As many other speakers have noted, our challenge is how we will use this tool effectively in order that we can spend more time focusing on the human tasks and get rid of much of the drudgery, which is effectively what ChatGPT was able to do for so many people.

Obviously education is not the only area of public service in which artificial intelligence can assist us. I see huge potential for increased efficiencies in other areas of the public sector. Something that affects my area in Dublin Rathdown is mobility and movement, which the Minister of State mentioned. It came up at a meeting I held in Mount Merrion last night, where people talked about traffic light sequencing and the frustration with that. It is a big issue because not only are people trying to move around Dublin Rathdown itself but there is also the N11 and the M50 so, in effect, we are a travel-through county. There are many challenges there relating to how we move people around. The frustration expressed by residents last night, which I am sure everyone here has experienced, is that whether one walks, cycles or is in a car or bus, we have all been stopped at junctions where no one seems to be moving at all. As a pedestrian, I have found myself at traffic lights many times and while they say that the lights change automatically when a pedestrian pushes them, that is not the case. It is one of those frustrations. A pilot programme was conducted in the UK to try to use artificial intelligence specifically to improve traffic light sequencing. That is an area where AI could benefit all those who use our roads.

As other Members have pointed out, however, there are also negative consequences and there are concerns. The EU Act is attempting to create a framework around all that for the positive development of technology. I am concerned about the misuse of that technology, such as deepfakes, which put words into someone’s mouth, or misusing people’s images. A piece of legislation that comes to mind, probably because of its name, is the Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security, ELVIS, Act which was passed in Tennessee. It attempted to introduce penalties for misuse. Obviously we could not introduce an ELVIS Act - I presume it would have to be the Bono Act - but it is an indicator of the direction of travel we need to take to enhance the positives while at the same time trying to address the potential negative outcomes as well.

I ask the Minister of State, particularly in the area of public service provision, what sort of framework will be developed in order to deliver those public services using AI.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate my good friend and colleague, Deputy Niamh Smyth, on her appointment and wish her well. Right throughout the programme for Government, the increased emphasis on artificial intelligence and digitalisation is very positive. However, it is essential that it does not just fall on the Minister of State's shoulders.

It is critical that we have a whole-of-government approach to unlock the potential of new technology. As the Taoiseach has said, in many ways what we are experiencing with AI is the 21st century's Industrial Revolution. It will transform everything we do. I am an optimist by nature and I believe that we should be focusing on the opportunities as to how tech can improve our lives, our health outcomes and, indeed, workplace efficiencies.

We cannot have innovation without safety, as a number of colleagues have said. I totally agree with Deputy Donnelly when he said that we have to address the digital divide and ensure that citizens are not left behind.

As the Minister of State said, AI is not a new concept but the speed at which the change is happening, notwithstanding some of the hype, really is breathtaking. Indeed, Dario Amodei, the co-founder and CEO of Anthropic, said recently that we may achieve artificial general intelligence by 2027. That may be a little optimistic but I would be quite certain over the lifetime of this Oireachtas that we will see very significant changes.

What I would like to focus on today is the State's response and some of the things I believe we need to do. I have long called for Oireachtas hearings - indeed, a special committee on AI and new tech - to stimulate public debate on issues related to artificial intelligence. I totally agree with the Minister of State about training for all TDs and Senators on the use of AI. The national artificial intelligence strategy, AI - Here for Good, is an excellent document, but one of our problems with these is that quite often we say the right things and we do not follow through. The Minister of State will be aware I tabled a parliamentary question last month to all Departments and agencies on their use of AI and, to be honest, with some notable exceptions in health, Revenue and the cross-Border Loughs Agency, there was not a lot of proactivity. There was limited engagement beyond acting on the advice of the NCSE and some training that was happening. Indeed, the opening line from the Department of enterprise in response was, "A policy document on the use of Generative AI was issued to all staff in my Department setting out the risks of using such technologies and the mitigations they must adopt to avoid those risks." That was not, in my view, a proactive approach.

During Ireland's EU Presidency, we need to talk about artificial intelligence and digital leadership in Europe. It is critical those themes are front and centre. We need to indicate that earlier. While there has to be a strong emphasis on safety in EU regulation, it cannot be overly burdensome. We have to continue to encourage innovation in this space.

On the broader debate, which I agree with my Labour Party colleagues needs to be linked with the debate on renewable energy, data centres are critical. We have to have the debate on renewable energy, data centres and powering the grid. They are all interrelated. If the Labour Party wants a moratorium on data centres, we can take more seriously some of its calls in this space when it also has a moratorium on its use of social media. Data centres are critical drivers. I would encourage the party to look at Echelon, for instance, and some of the plans it has for new data centres just outside Arklow.

The Department has a number of responsibilities in The Government Response to Ireland’s Competitiveness Challenge 2024. The Department has been challenged to commission research on the impact of AI and key technologies on the Irish economy and to engage in a campaign of AI adoption for SMEs. It is important we hear more about the responses in those areas.

As we have said and we have been talking about, this will be transformative. There is a critical role for all Departments, particularly, I believe and as has been mentioned, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, which cannot only be an administrative Department. Robots will not replace workers but the reality is workers who use artificial intelligence will replace workers who do not. In those circumstances, it is critical we upskill everybody in our society and that we have that debate.

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I might have been better had I used ChatGPT or something else to write a speech for me. I did not and I will go for a more traditional method of dealing with this.

In fairness, and I might never say this again over the next four years, I agree with the previous speaker from the opposite bench, especially on the need to look at holding special hearings. We definitely need to look at having a special committee to deal with the issue of AI.

When talking about the idea of digital literacy, there would be an issue in this House in dealing with the concepts. We will be talking about something that absolutely is changing.

While 2027 might not exactly be the date on which Skynet becomes aware, and we have the disaster scenarios from "Terminator" that people fear, we have seen significant moves from simply neural networks right through to where quantum computing is at present, and it is probably only at an intermediate stage. The advantages are that you will have capacity. As this intelligence and technology improves, the idea would be that you would get a lot more bang for buck which could also deal with some of the issues we have with data centres. I also accept data centres are not going anywhere. Some of the issues we have in this State have been our failure to deal with the grid and with renewables. We really need to get everything together.

We all know the benefits that can exist, that exist in improving medical outcomes and that can happen in education. That is also to accept we may have to change the way by which students currently are graded or assessed. We have to teach people how to use tools, particularly when we are talking about generative AI, rather than make up and ensure they do not have to do anything. Members know what I mean, because that is not of any great benefit. While we need a regulatory framework, it would not make sense for us to miss out from an enterprise point of view on the productivity, innovation and necessary economic drivers they can be. We need to make sure we are absolutely on top of this in any way, shape or form.

I know we all have a fear. Some of the fear is not quite what I spoke about earlier, rather that we have seen the relationship between the tech bros and Donald Trump and we know these people want to ensure there is no regulation whatsoever on their ability to make money and wield power. We needs to make sure the Digital Services Act deals with some of the issues that exist regarding the absolute freedom they want for people to put up content so that they can maintain profits. When we are talking about artificial intelligence, it is a facility that can really benefit but it needs to be universal benefit. There is a huge amount of work that needs to be done.

Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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I congratulate Deputy Smyth on her role, as she said at the beginning of today's discussion, as the first Minister of State with intleacht shaorga in her title.

I welcome today's discussion. This is such an important topic in society right now. It will dominate our term of office for the next five years. There is no question that it will be an important part of so many areas of life and it is important we facilitate this type of discussion.

I would question the framing of it because even the order the discussion is going in in terms of how technology or AI is specifically used for the public good, in business, the economy and for wider society is demonstrative of what we, unfortunately, have seen in policymaking in this area, which is an emphasis on industry, business, economy and a failure to take into account the wider implications of AI in society.

I am excited about artificial intelligence. I am a techie. I worked in the tech sector for eight years. I am a technophile but my excitement about AI is tempered right now because we are not keeping up. The politics and the legal framework we need to harness AI for good does not exist and the actors with all the power right now are big business. I cannot be excited. I cannot be positive about the impact of AI until I am secure in that regulatory framework, until I feel that the right safeguards and the right controls are in place for us to use AI without the dangers it presents.

Dúirt an Taoiseach inné go raibh rogha idir dul i ngleic le hathrú aeráide agus poist a chosaint. Is drochshampla é sin. Ní rogha idir ceann amháin nó ceann eile í. Níl poist á gcosaint againn trí easpa rialacháin. The Taoiseach, yesterday, positioned it as a choice between regulation and protection of jobs, which is problematic. That is not how we need to think about it. We have to introduce regulations, not in a way to prevent jobs or job creation but in a way to protect against the precarity we will see otherwise.

Again, it speaks to that imbalance between industry and societal interests.

I will speak briefly about regulation before I talk about some of those challenges that really keep me awake at night. We have regulation at domestic and EU level. We have started to see the legislating of this space in terms of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act and the Digital Services Act. Both of those are good steps but nowhere near where we need to be. Similar to the legislation we have seen in the EU with the Digital Services Act and the AI Act, both were watered down to a point where I believe that, once again, we are seeing this industry emphasis and not the impact we know AI will have on society. In a parliamentary question response I received this week I discovered it seems we will be opting out of the section in the AI Act on law enforcement's use of AI. I would love to hear more about whether that is the case.

We have heard that displacement of labour is one of the big challenges. I find it interesting that the last Government speaker agreed with what the Taoiseach said yesterday that AI will bring about the fourth industrial revolution. We will see labour displacement at a rate we have not seen in generations and yet he said that robots will not take our jobs. Robots will take our jobs. Any jobs that are text-based, such as middle class professions like solicitors, journalists and so on, will be impacted as generative AI develops over the coming five, ten or 20 years. There is no question about that. We have to deal with that head on. We have to deal with it in the most positive way we can by saying that these efficiencies actually should allow us more time as a society for leisure. We should look at really big societal questions such as the identity we have with labour. We should look at a reduction of working time, for example, working towards four-day weeks. We should look at universal basic income and tools that will allow that safety net for us to transition because otherwise we will see a continued erosion and precarity of labour because of the displacement we are experiencing from this.

The next thing I want to call out is algorithmic decision-making. Another Government speaker spoke about this issue but I have huge problems with it. We have seen cases emerge in both the UK and the Netherlands where algorithmic decision-making is used in the provision of public services and it leads to bias and discrimination. We know this. We know the tools are not there yet to deal with this efficiently. It also removes access to justice for people because if there is no human behind the decision being made it is very difficult for people who feel they have been wrongly decided against to find accountability for those decisions. Those safeguards are not there and the structures are not in place to actually deploy this in a way I believe is yet safe.

Disinformation, misinformation and malinformation are huge threats to our democracy, rule of law and political stability as a country and as a globe. We all know this as elected representatives. We all have experienced some of this. It will only worsen with deepfakes becoming more and more sophisticated and we have to be really live to it. Underlying all of this is digital literacy. As I mentioned earlier, I am a techie. I love using technology but I do not love surveillance so I make sure I deploy my technology in a way that I am not surveilled. Most people do not have that level of sophistication so digital literacy has to keep up as we rely on AI.

I will touch briefly on some of the recommendations the Social Democrats set out in our general election manifesto. I would be delighted to speak to the Minister of State about these in more detail as she gets going on her brief. An AI committee must be established to deal with this because it is such a cross-Government issue. There needs to be more honest conversation about labour displacement plans and really thinking about the massive scale of retraining that will be required. Ireland needs to play into its unique position where most tech giants are headquartered here; we need to have honest conversations about them as publishers and about their use of AI and technology more broadly to drive polarisation in society.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I listened to the previous Government speaker who repeated something said yesterday. It is almost as if you cannot talk about regulation if you have a social media account. What a banal and boring analysis of the situation.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Yes, get rid of your phone and computer. I wish I could.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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It is the equivalent of saying you are not allowed talk about banking regulation if you have a bank account. The only person I remember in the Chamber who could meet that standard was the former leader of Fianna Fáil. What a weird analogy.

For years we were sold the dream that automation and AI would free people from drudgery, allowing society to prosper and with fewer working hours and more leisure. Any of us who watched the inauguration of Trump saw the tech billionaires lined up behind him have only one purpose in mind - the erosion of workers' rights and the deployment of wealth to their own ends. We cannot step away from that reality. Of course,there are opportunities here to build a new system but what the tech billionaires aspire to is a system where power is concentrated, where automation would serve the few while the rest of us are expected to adapt, and a scramble for security in an economy that no longer values human labour.

We cannot afford to sleepwalk into that future. Of course we have to be bold in accepting the reality of AI. It is happening whether we like it or not. We cannot put that milk back into the bottle even if we would like to. That does not mean we just have to be subservient to it. If we accept the fact there will be increased automation and AI that does not mean we have to have increased electricity bills for consumers. That does not mean we have to just hand over our legitimacy to these tech oligarchs and allow them in many ways to not only dictate the pace of our economy but also the pace of our foreign policy. When it comes to some of the decisions we are taking with regard to Gaza and occupied territories Bill, it was all designed to plamás these same figures.

The first and foremost challenge is an assurance that AI serves workers. That same previous Fianna Fáil speaker said that AI will not replace jobs. That is just clearly not true. On a very basic level I represent the north inner city community where containerisation down in the docks created a huge displacement of workers. That void still has not been filled so to say that is simply not true.

The Taoiseach spoke yesterday about a fourth industrial revolution. In every revolution new technology has created wealth but the distribution of that wealth has always been a political choice. AI will of course be no different. If companies automate jobs and increase profits then we should not shy away from demanding they contribute back whether through taxation, social investment, or policies to ensure job retraining and redeployment and bring the conversation of a universal basic income of a very real standard to the table. We are clearly nearly at that point and this is not a distant concern.

As we are well-informed, Ireland's tech sector employs more than 150,000 people. If AI is used recklessly those jobs will be at risk. Let us not pretend this is just about tech companies.

AI is used frequently in finance, legal services and customer support. AI is even being used in creative industries. We absolutely need regulation to ensure AI complements human work rather than undermines it. To simply say that should not be seen as us being fearful or not understanding the possibilities. That is just acknowledging the reality and seeking to do what we are supposed to do in this Chamber which is to legislate for it and not be beholden to those same interests.

There is another immediate challenge, one Ireland cannot afford to ignore. AI is not just about data and algorithms, it is also about energy. Training large AI models consumes staggering amounts of electricity. Running them requires large amounts of it. Many of them are right here in Ireland. We know that. We should have these conversations. We should not be just talking pie in the sky about how great it will be. We should seek to regulate to ensure that everybody benefits and not just a few.

James Geoghegan (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to her new role. Having witnessed her handling of RTÉ, her response to the AI revolution will be child's play in comparison to the challenges she faced as Chair of that committee. I welcome her appointment to this post and it is a very good decision by the Government to have a Minister of State dedicated to this important issue.

I welcome this debate on how we can harness AI for the greater good in business, the economy and society. Let us be clear, this is not a speculative conversation. It is not on the horizon, it is here right now. As the Taoiseach rightly stated, the AI revolution is the most profound economic shift since the industrial revolution. We heard pithy remarks and saw eyerolls during Leaders' Questions when that statement was made but let us look at the facts. In healthcare, AI is diagnosing cancer, tuberculosis, and diabetes faster and more accurately than ever before. During the Covid-19 pandemic, AI accelerated drug discovery and patient management, saving lives. In finance AI-powered algorithims by Visa and MasterCard are detecting fraudulent transactions in real time. In agriculture, AI-driven drones are optimising crop yields and soil health. In my own field in the legal sector, AI is expediting justice by automating document review which is cutting costs and delays.

These are not projections, they are realities. PwC estimates that AI will add €1.8 trillion in value to northern Europe while Accenture predicts €148 billion could be added to Ireland's GDP by 2038. Ireland is uniquely placed to lead. We are home to 16 of the world's top 20 tech companies.

We have the highest number of STEM graduates per capitain Europe and more than 40 companies developing AI technologies. Two thirds of Ireland's 2,200 indigenous tech startups employ more than 52,000 people, so when AI sceptics shrug their shoulders, I say that turning our backs on AI is turning our backs on Ireland's future. It does nothing for the tens of thousands of people whose jobs depend on the tech sector or for the millions of Irish citizens who will be impacted by AI's advancement.

As many Deputies have already said during this debate, we cannot separate AI from energy, but unlike what I heard from the Labour Party speaker, in my view data centres are the backbone of AI infrastructure. They are vilified, as we heard earlier this afternoon, in a way that is filled with much whataboutery. The Labour Party spoke earlier about having a moratorium on data centres. That is a Trumpian policy. It is essentially saying to stop funding something altogether because we have a concern about it and that we will worry about all the problems when we have decided what the solutions should give. To add to that whataboutery, it was highlighted how, in the constituency of the Deputy who made that contribution, there are benefits from data centres in the form of district heating that can flow from data centres.

We need to have an honest and clear debate about data centres. There are jokes about people having mobile phones meaning they do not have a right to debate. I do not accept that contention. If you own a mobile phone, you can still criticise data centres. We have to be honest and acknowledge that the technological advancement that we all rely on day-to-day is fuelled by data centres. We cannot have this approach where data centres should just be somewhere else. That is the negative philosophy of NIMBYism that prevents homes from being built in all our constituencies across the country. We have to be honest and truthful about that.

In the same way that we should not be fearful about AI when it comes to the innovations that it will bring, while ensuring that we regulate it in an appropriate and balanced manner, it is not just one side of the equation where data centres consume and sap so much energy and therefore we must oppose them at all costs, but that data centres create and fuel demand. That type of demand can in turn drive the type of investment that we need to see in renewable energy in this country. We need to see improvements in the amount of offshore wind that we will develop over the next five, ten or 15 years. Data centres have a role to play in fuelling AI and innovation but also in contributing to the investment that we need to see in the renewable energy sector. This is not a zero-sum game. The debate has complexity. We have to be honest about that and reflect that.

As Mario Draghi's recent report highlighted, Europe is falling behind the USA and China on AI due to over-regulation. The former ECB governor warned that Europe has effectively imposed tariffs on itself.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I am sorry to interrupt the Deputy. That is five minutes. I call Deputy Shay Brennan.

Shay Brennan (Dublin Rathdown, Fianna Fail)
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Today, we are addressing a matter of critical national importance, which is the transformative power of artificial intelligence and the significant opportunity for Ireland to establish itself as a global leader in this field. The decision we make now will impact not only our economic future but also the way we work, live and interact as a society for decades to come. As we embark into 2025, it is clear that AI is no longer a distant prospect but a present reality reshaping our economy and society. The potential of AI to drive growth and innovation in Ireland is immense, with some projections even suggesting it could boost GDP by tens of millions over the next decade. To seize this opportunity, we must build upon the refreshed AI - Here for Good: National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. The strategy emphasises our commitment to a humancentric, ethical approach to AI development, adoption and use. We must position Ireland at the forefront of implementing the EU AI Act, participate constructively in the EU AI board, and foster public trust through transparency and engagement.

Our Government must increase investment in AI. While we are set to increase spending on AI research projects by over 50% to €1.8 million in 2025, we must go further. We must guide the development of data centre infrastructure crucial for AI growth, focusing on renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technology. We must also invest in nationwide 5G and other critical digital infrastructure to support AI development.

Education and skills development are crucial. We are proud that Ireland was one of the first countries in the world to develop an industry-driven, postgraduate MSc in artificial intelligence, but we have to do more. We have to implement comprehensive AI education programmes at all levels, from primary schools to professional development. We must expand digital upskilling and reskilling initiatives, including those available via Skillnet and Springboard+.

The impact of AI on our job market is already evident. While up to 160,000 jobs in Ireland could see more than half of their work activities automated by AI, the majority of Irish employers believe that AI adoption will ultimately result in more jobs, not fewer. In fact, 51% of employers report that AI introduction will create more roles than it replaces. We are seeing this trend in action. The demand for AI professionals in Ireland has skyrocketed, with a 142% increase in the past six months alone. An additional 8,000 AI-related jobs are expected to be created this year. In my constituency, Dublin Rathdown, we are witnessing this growth first-hand. Our area is home to several global companies that have already announced hundreds of new local AI-related jobs. This is a testament to Ireland's growing reputation as a hub for AI innovation and talent.

To drive AI adoption across our economy, we must develop a national campaign to raise awareness among small and medium enterprises of the benefits of AI adoption and the available supports. The Government can and should lead by example. We must use AI to transform online public services, making them more efficient and effective. We must also develop AI strategies for key sectors such as healthcare, leveraging AI to improve patient access, experience and outcomes.

Innovation and research are key to our success. We have to continue to support and expand initiatives like the national AI hub, increase funding for AI research and development and establish an AI regulatory testbed to foster innovation while ensuring responsible developments. On the international stage, we have a clear opportunity to strengthen Ireland's position in global AI initiatives and collaborations. We must leverage our unique position as an EU member with a strong foothold in the tech sector to play a key role in global AI development, roll-out and governance discussions. To ensure ethical and responsible AI governance, we must strengthen the role of the AI Advisory Council in providing independent advice on emerging AI challenges. We need to roll out AI standards and certifications aligned with the EU AI Act and deliver transparency and accountability in public service AI deployments.

AI is not some far-off concept. It is the present reality and is transforming our world. From the innovation tech hubs in Dublin to the enterprising communities right across rural Ireland, AI offers us the tools to enhance our quality of life, fuel economic growth and cement Ireland's position as a technological powerhouse on the global stage. We should embrace this challenge with the spirit of innovation and determination that has always been the hallmark of Irish ingenuity. We must work together in government, industry and academia to ensure the benefits of AI are maximised for all our citizens.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on her new role. The opportunity to speak about artificial intelligence is apt at this point in time. At no age in our society has technology had a bigger role, particularly considering social media and the impact that has had on so many people across the globe, particularly across Ireland. It is clear that there is significant power in all of that. The previous speaker spoke of the power that AI has. The difficulty with it is that people have to make decisions as to how that power is employed. Will it be employed for the good or for the bad? We think of social media and the number of people whose lives have been destroyed by it because that power was used negatively, and the number of other people whose lives were enhanced by it because it was used positively.

It is down to that decision that has to be made. That is why regulation is so important in all of this. The opportunities that were spoken of by so many Deputies are absolutely real, including the opportunities in the health service, in education and even in our bus timetables. No matter what we look at, whether transport or whatever else, AI has a role to play which can be positive and enhancing for everyone in society. There are certainly opportunities in employment and so on. Possibly, in the future, it could create opportunities to create more new and different energy sources which will supply the energy which will be needed for it.

In the end, it comes back to how we regulate this.

There are very big vested interests ensuring that there is little or no regulation. We heard what Mr. Vance had to say with regard to that when he went to the European convention recently in Munich. These are world players and they dominate, and that is the difficulty we have. One of the examples I often think about is Adam Smith. He wrote a book many years ago called The Wealth of Nations. He was, of course, the hero of capitalism, but he was also a very strong proponent for strong regulation, and that the strong hand of government had to be there to ensure there was fair play. Toward the end of that book there is a piece that states that never is there a time when two or more merchants come together for the most casual of conversation but the conversation turns to fix the market to their benefit.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Absolutely.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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That is why we must have firm regulation. That is why we have to ensure regulation is in place. Even the heroes of capitalism recognise the difficulty with it and the flaw in it, which is that the most powerful can use it for the negative and for their own benefit. That is why we have to ensure that artificial intelligence is used in a way which will be positive for people. That can only happen if Government, the people in these Houses, and particularly in the European Union - a lot of it will be governed from there - do so in a positive way to ensure we protect our citizens and enhance their lives rather than allow it to be used, as much of this technology has been used to date, for the negative. That is the point we need to focus on as we move forward in embracing this technology for the public good.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I congratulate the Minister of State on her appointment and wish her well in the new role. I welcome this opportunity for us to have an informed debate on the positive implications of AI across our society, as well as the new risks it brings. As with any evolution in technological capability that has a widespread application, the public debate on this has been intense. In this environment the public requires clear and trustworthy information about how AI is being used in their daily lives, and in particular to ensure that the public interest is served, that individual rights and freedoms are protected from exploitation, and that the adoption of this technology is used within the boundary of our climate commitments. It is also important to establish some fundamental principles about what AI should be used for. AI has really innovative potential to bring hugely positive enhancement in our lives, but it has to work for the benefit of people and society. I very much welcome the EU''s AI Act in that line. That regulation sets down critically important limitations on the use of AI, and I am proud of the strong influence the green group in the European Parliament had in ensuring there were guardrails placed in that regulation. Practices like biometric mass surveillance, AI systems that recognise gender or sexual orientation and AI-based predictive policing are among the most undemocratic and unethical practices that AI systems can be put to. Where an individual's rights and freedoms can be so effectively undermined at scale without that person being aware, that raises really worrying and fundamental questions.

We also have to be clear about the identification of fake content. I will use a crude example. There is an image of me going around X at the moment saying that in an interview I leaked a secret of wealth generation. I did not, because I do not know that particular secret.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Adam Smith knew.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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That image is so crude that it can be easily spotted, but we have to be ready for the time when that content is absolutely indistinguishable from reality. We must also be upfront about the huge energy use that AI technology necessitates. As a country that already expends a disproportionate percentage of our energy generation on data centres, we need to acknowledge that the growth in AI use has huge potential to pressure the ability to achieve carbon reduction targets in Ireland and internationally. While acknowledging the role that data centres play in the wider IT sector, which is an important employer in Ireland, we have to be honest about the trade-offs in terms of less capacity for housing connections and in eating up new renewable energy capacity rather than allowing that new renewable energy capacity replace existing fossil fuel sources. We have to be honest that there are trade-offs to the new Government's stated policy of liberalising the granting of planning for additional data centres that will entail from that new policy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I have to say it has been a pretty depressing debate so far, with a few honourable exceptions. Most of the Deputies have swallowed and then regurgitated the spin from big tech. I find it incredible that we had a speech from the new Minister of State with responsibility for AI and its only reference to climate change is about AI being used to help us address sustainability and climate action. There is no mention of the suggestion by many, including Donald Trump, that it will result in a doubling of our power need. Trump envisages that will be filled by coal. The Irish Government clearly envisages that it will be filled a fuel even dirtier than coal, by importing LNG from America.

What is AI going to do for workers? The Taoiseach claimed yesterday that if we do not enable data centres to massively expand fossil fuel usage, it will damage workers. However, in many cases it will put them out of a job. The Government's own research has found that 30% of Irish workers are in danger of being replaced by AI. Women and people in administrative and creative roles are disproportionately at risk. The World Economic Forum estimates that 85 million workers will lose their jobs to AI in the coming years. We need less of this capture by big tech and more cop-on and the asking of basic questions, like where the massive amounts of rare earth minerals are going to come from. Where is the water going to come from? Where is the energy going to come from? Is it worth trashing our planet and throwing millions of people out of work for the sake of AI-generated slop? Do we want crappy paraphrases from ChatGPT taking over the Internet? Do we want uncanny valley videos of people with six hands walking down? Is that the way we want to spend our energy? Is that how we want to use our water? Do we want more far-right content with AI-generated fake videos fomenting hate? Is that what we want?

I think we need to look back in time to a previous movement that engaged with new technology and said, "Yes, we want technology, but we want it for the benefit of people. We want it in the control of society, not big corporations." I am reading a book at the moment about the Luddites. The Luddites must be the most maligned movement in history. If you look up the definition of the word Luddite, it means someone who is opposed to technology. The Luddites were not opposed to technology. They were skilled workers confronted with the implementation of new technology that was used to impoverish their communities, to lower the quality of the products they were producing, to take away the autonomy they had previously and to drive child labour. They started off not by breaking machines, but by petitions to the king and the government that fell on deaf ears. They were then forced to resort to insurrectionary practices. They were ultimately crushed by massive state repression, occupation and thousands and thousands of soldiers, but basically the Luddites were right, and we could do with applying the lessons today when it comes to big tech.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Most technology can be used either to benefit human beings or for malign purposes. I do not trust the people who control this technology, or the people who dominate the political scene in most of the world, to use this technology to the benefit of society. One of the best films ever made in my opinion - if you have not watched it, you should - is Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times", in which he brilliantly satirises the impact of Fordist industrial technology to deepen the exploitation of human beings, and turn human beings into machines purely to be exploited by greedy capitalists. The danger he alluded to in that brilliant film remains with us today. There is a Deputy elected to this House who had to be suspended from his party because he was associated with, and a shareholder in, a company called Palantir that was providing digital technology to kill people and identify so-called terrorists for the US and Israeli militaries. One of the things I thought people should consider about this company is its name. We know digital technology can benefit people but, in this case, it was used to target people and kill them, including during the genocide in Palestine over the past year and a half. The name of the company, Palantir, which should have rung a few alarm bells, comes from The Lord of the Rings. It is the seeing stone of the dark lord Sauron, who is the evil character. It is used to see everything and manipulate people to the benefit of the dark lord. Imagine the people who set up that company using that name for the company.

When setting up that company, they knew what they were doing and that it was for evil purposes. Why else would they name the company after the all-seeing eye of the dark lord Sauron? Unfortunately, there are a lot of these people in the world. They do not care about the benefits to society. They certainly do not care about workers. Artists, performers, writers, directors and so on are rightly very worried about what is already happening in the arts industry. Essentially, copies of them are being made. They are being moved out of the process and replaced with machines that use their avatars to produce art, writing and so on. While this technology is controlled by people who are only interested in profit, I will be deeply suspicious about it. Control of this technology must be used to benefit ordinary working people and we must not have a government led by people who are making vast profits out of this technology and who do not give a damn about the future of our planet or about working people.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate the Minister of State, Deputy Smyth. How wonderful to say "Minister" before her name. I am delighted to see her elevated to this position. This is a proud time for her family and for County Cavan. I believe she is from Bailieborough. I often see it on her social media. It is a proud day for her community to have one of their own not just in the ministerial ranks but holding the seat of Government during this session. It is a proud day and I am delighted to see her in that position.

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on this debate. It is really important that Ireland has a stronger position insofar as artificial intelligence is concerned. Whenever we see the Head of State of the most powerful and richest nation in the world, America, he is surrounded by the so-called tech brothers. They are dictating policy on AI and all things digital at this time. It is important that this debate is happening not just in Ireland, but across the European Union, that we are keeping pace and that we are doing so in a safe fashion.

There are great advantages to AI and I will speak to them in a moment. However, there are also some risks. One of these is the risk to citizens' rights. There are very fine lines to be drawn here and balances to be struck. There is also a digital divide. There is an advertisement on TV at the moment in which a walrus rides in a speedboat. I was doing an advice clinic in a bar the other day and this came on. I was meeting an elderly person and helping with an issue and this person asked how that was done. I said it was AI. There are all sorts of distorted content and information going out there already. We have only scratched the surface with AI. It is going to get deeper and deeper. This is the best and worst time to be a young person in this country. The opportunities are immense but the distortion of what is real and what is fake or artificially generated poses a risk. I also think about job security. This Government and the previous Government have a proud record. This country is doing well with job creation and retention. It is important that we do not foster a culture in which jobs are displaced by artificial intelligence but we do have to move with the times. It is very important to strike a balance. There is a national strategy on artificial intelligence.

The programme for Government commits to a national strategy on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare. That is absolutely crucial. It could be transformative. There is a company in Shannon, MeiraGTx, that takes tiny vials of DNA and alters the genetic path of a person. Some women will unfortunately have a genetic predisposition towards breast cancer. Others may be predisposed to bowel cancer or have another family medical history. This company has a way of detecting that early on and providing genetic treatment for those people. I would love to get us into that sphere, where not all drugs are generic but some are actually tailored to one's family history and propensity to develop certain illnesses and diseases. That is important. However, before we get to the 21st century of AI in healthcare, we first need a digital records system for all patients. More is known about the health of my car than about my own personal health. If you go into the Department of Transport, you can scroll through screen after screen of NCT reports. These will tell you how much wear there is on the front bushes or rear axle of my car. They can tell you everything but there will be no record of my heart, lungs or whatever. If such records do exist, they will be in a paper file, with some in a GP practice filing cabinet, others in a local health clinic and some in the hospital. It is important that we develop a collated digital database so that, when we present anywhere, a digital file goes with us. It is also important to say that, where those digital files do exist - there are not many of them - they are specific to hospital groups. The Minister of State is from Bailieborough. If she were to come down to our region, the mid-west, and present to one of our hospitals, none of her digital files or patient information would be available. This should be a centralised national system.

In the little time I have left, I will speak on a slight tangent, although I am sure the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach will give me a bit of liberty. I am hoping to bring in a Bill from the back benches relating to pornography. I recently met with a group of parents. They are all brought into school at this time of year to talk about Internet safety. I was a teacher myself for long enough. There is one thing that really bothers them. Pornography is there and probably will be there forever. I do not think anyone could really and fully control that. However, there are elements of pornography that are absolutely sick and disgusting. Rape and violence against women are depicted in pornography. As a country, we should follow the lead taken by other nations in banning that. Just as child pornography is absolutely banned across the world, we should be banning this type of pornography. There is nothing normal or mainstream about it. It is sick and anyone looking it up should get their head checked. An Garda Síochána would also be quite interested to see what kind of shady characters are looking this up. There is work to be done in that space and it is something I hope to do by way of a Bill.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Guím gach rath ar mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Smyth, as ucht a ceapacháin mar Aire Stáit le freagracht as intleacht shaorga. Táim ag súil go mór le hobair léi amach anseo agus muid ag dul i ngleic leis an gclaochlú a chruthóidh an intleacht shaorga inár sochaí agus inár ngeilleagar. I look forward to working with the Minister of State in her new role. I congratulate her on her appointment.

I am pleased to contribute to the debate Dáil Éireann is having on the role of artificial intelligence, the advent of which has been rightly compared to the industrial revolution due to its transformative potential, as has been said by other Deputies. We live in an era when the word "efficiency" dominates political discourse at times. We often hear that the State must do more with less, streamline services and maximise output while minimising costs. While no one can doubt that efficiency is important, our ultimate goal should be an effective State, that is, one that does not just do things faster or more cheaply but that does them better. As other Deputies have referenced, AI will be crucial in achieving this effectiveness. Ireland must strategically position itself to harness AI for future prosperity. We have a strong foundation in last year's refreshed AI strategy. I pay tribute to the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and the Minister, Deputy Calleary, for their work on this important brief in the last Dáil.

The European Commission has identified this decade as the digital decade and Irish businesses are rising to that challenge, as highlighted in a recent report by Strand Partners and Amazon. According to that report, 54% of Irish businesses surveyed stated that AI had become more important for them. From 2022 to 2023, the number of Irish companies adopting AI increased by a quarter, reaching 34%. Notably, almost three quarters of those businesses are using what are called large language models or generative AI. That is well ahead of the European average. The share of AI talent in Ireland grew by a factor of five between 2016 and 2022 according to research led by the IDA in its labour market pulse. Our AI strategy should support and encourage this innovation.

In my first speech to this Chamber, I stated that the world of work is changing rapidly. The jobs that our children will do have not yet been conceived of. Before entering this House, I worked as a data scientist, an occupation that did not exist when I was filling out my CAO form. As we think of the impact of AI on the labour market, there are certainly some jobs that will be disrupted. However, there are also many roles that will be augmented and others that will be largely insulated. There is value in identifying these different types of roles, as was done in research carried out by LinkedIn, and in planning for how to respond positively to these disruptive effects.

Ireland's greatest asset has always been the talent of our people. As a State, we have excelled in skilling, training and educating our people. This role is even more crucial in today's labour market. Only a quarter of the businesses surveyed for the report I mentioned find it easy to hire staff with good digital skills. To address this, we must embed foundational digital skills in our population. This is an EU-wide challenge, as highlighted by Mario Draghi in his competitiveness report. Fortunately, Ireland has achieved 73% basic digital skills coverage, which can be compared with the EU average of 56%. The transformative impact of AI will also place a unique and important emphasis on the need for interpersonal and human skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork. We must not lose sight of that.

B'ábhar dóchais dom a fheiceáil go raibh sé beartaithe ag Údarás na Gaeltachta tograí a chur ar fáil a bhainfidh leas as AI. Ina meas siúd beidh ardáin agus uirlisí a chuirfidh seirbhísí agus comhairle ar ardchaighdeán ar fáil as Gaeilge, cúrsaí oiliúna maidir le hintleacht shaorga agus an Ghaeilge agus fiontraíocht in earnáil na hintleachta saorga sa Ghaeltacht a spreagadh.

As other Deputies mentioned, all this needs to be built on a robust regulatory bedrock of transparency, accountability and inclusivity. Global standards, as proposed by the Global Partnership on AI and the OECD, and initiatives that come from industry such as those taken by Inspec.ai, a start-up company supported and funded by the NDRC in Ireland, are crucial for responsible AI development and adoption. Inclusion needs to be at the top of our minds. Studies show that women are 20% less likely to have used ChatGPT compared with men in similar occupations. We need to ensure there is no gender gap in the adoption and use of AI. We also need to consider older people who may not be as familiar with digital technologies.

Like all technologies, AI should be our servant rather than our master. We need to support our businesses as they continue to embrace innovation. We need to set our people up for success by equipping them with the skills they need to harness the potential of AI and we need to build this approach on a robust foundation of transparency, accountability and inclusivity. I look forward to being part of that debate.

Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the opportunity to speak on this issue. AI is an incredibly powerful technology. I welcome the appointment of a Minister of State with responsibility for it. It requires a whole-of-government approach and response because this technology has incredible potential but needs to be managed in the right way. There are real risks. We are trying to get our heads around the potential of this technology. We know it is moving far more quickly than was envisaged.

I will focus on AI and the risks associated with it as they may apply to the leaving cert, our senior cycle and senior cycle reform. I ask the Minister of State to pick up on this with the Minister for Education. I share the concerns of school leaders throughout the country that the Minister for Education is rushing ahead with accelerated senior cycle reforms, not under the original timeline but the accelerated timeline indicated by her predecessor. Real concerns have been articulated. We will all be familiar with the demonstrations relating to this that took place outside schools throughout the State in November. For example, in the area of the impact of the proposals on the examination assessment system, a claim has been made that the State Examinations Commission needs adequate time to design, evaluate and implement assessment methods aligned with the redeveloped curriculum, ensuring fairness and reliability and, importantly, taking full account of AI.

School leaders say that there are increasing concerns around AI and its impact on the academic integrity of senior cycle reform. They further say that the Minister announced research into AI and how it may impact additional assessment components, which are an important part of the proposed reforms, but despite this research not being published, the Department is continuing with the policy of accelerating the introduction of senior cycle redevelopment. These school leaders state there are inherent dangers with this strategy, which could have a disastrous effect on their students. That is a very serious statement from vastly experienced school leaders. In addition, the use of AI research in written projects has not been adequately researched and could have a major impact on some of the proposed augmentative and alternative communication, AAC. There is a red flag in this regard. That is not saying this cannot be managed but what school leaders, teacher trade unions and schoolteachers are saying loudly and clearly to us is that we need time to prepare and plan for this. Rushing and accelerating the senior cycle reform is not the way to do it. I ask the Minister of State to take that up with the Minister for Education.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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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.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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I welcome the Minister of State to her new position. I wish her the very best of luck.

Artificial intelligence is no longer a concept for the future. It is here and it is already transforming businesses across every sector. From automating routine tasks to analysing vast amounts of data in seconds, AI is driving efficiency, reducing costs and enabling businesses to innovate like never before. However, with change comes challenge. AI will have a massive impact on the workforce. It is our responsibility to ensure that this transition benefits everyone and not just a select few. We must embrace AI's potential while protecting workers wherever possible. The reality is that some jobs will change and some will even disappear, but history shows us that every industrial revolution, whether it involved the steam engine, electricity or the Internet, has led to new opportunities, new industries and new ways of working. AI will be no different. Rather than trying to resist this new technology, we must focus on harnessing its benefits, streamlining operations, improving productivity and allowing businesses to grow. At the same time, we must negotiate the challenges, ensuring that workers are retrained, supported and given the tools to adapt to an evolving workplace.

We firmly believe that AI can improve and enhance efficiency and potential. We know that businesses that embrace AI responsibly will lead the way in ensuring both economic growth and new ways of working. The future of AI business is not something to fear. I firmly believe that human endeavour, kindness and creativity is something that AI will never replace. In the areas of the arts and creativity, hospitality and healthcare, it will remain the case that a human touch will be essential. AI will not replace carers, nurses, domestic staff or those in hospitality. They cannot be replaced by AI. In politics, AI cannot replace a handshake or a chat at a clinic or doorstep. If we get this right, we will build an economy that is smarter, more efficient and ultimately more prosperous for everyone.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I rise to welcome the Minister of State to her new role. I worked with her previously with some county councillors when we were councillors together. I know she is a lady of integrity and decency. I wish her the very best of success.

I have to admit that, unlike others in the House, I am not a techie, but I am very fortunate that an eight-year-old member of my family – her name is Alissia O'Flynn – who is able to turn on my television and fix my phone for me at every opportunity. Unlike the Member who is able to hide her stuff online and what she has done a deep dive into, as mentioned earlier, I do not have the talents.

Having listened to this debate – I have been here for the majority of it – and to the concerns of the Members, I realise there are genuine concerns over jobs, but I regard AI as a benefit with massive potential. This was brought to my attention. I do not believe John McCarthy, who coined the phrase "artificial intelligence" at the Dartmouth conference in 1952, ever imagined AI would be at its current level. I recently visited the Jiao Tong medical hospice in Shanghai and saw the works and training of AI, its benefits, how it can improve people's studies, the amazing way the people work, and technology.

Equally, we have to accept that AI has its challenges, including for jobs. Jobs will change. The Government has to start training young people to code from a very early age and making moneys available. People from five years up should be learning coding. We have seen many coding clubs in my constituency, Cork North-Central. I am very proud of the one that works in Blackpool and of seeing innovative young people able to do things.

I welcome AI. It has to be regulated and smartly approached, but there is great potential for us in government, particularly in the Department of Social Protection. Decision-making in that Department takes so long. Constituents ring me asking me whether I have any news or update on whether forms they have filled out have been checked. Of course, there has to be a human being double-checking and human judgment, but there is great potential for us in government to work far more efficiently and give value for money.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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Honourable Members of Dáil Eireann, we stand at the dawn of a transformative age, one driven by the power of artificial intelligence. In business, AI offers unparalleled potential to boost productivity, streamline operations and foster innovation. Our economy can harness AI to enhance sectors like manufacturing, healthcare and finance, positioning Ireland as a global leader in technological advancements. However, with great power comes great responsibility. AI's rapid growth presents challenges: job displacement, ethical concerns and data privacy issues. It is crucial we manage these risks while embracing innovation. Ireland must ensure its workforce is equipped with the skills to thrive in an AI-driven economy while also safeguarding the interests of workers and consumers.

From an EU perspective, co-operation is key. We must develop and enforce regulations that promote responsible AI usage and ensure it serves the common good while protecting our values of fairness and privacy. Together, let us lead the way in harnessing AI for a brighter future. Thank you.

On a point of information, this speech was entirely written by AI, for better or worse, with parameters I set. It is important we have a little bit of control over it.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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In some ways, this debate is incredibly refreshing. While we are dealing with an incredibly new technology, there is nothing new about the debate we are having. We could replace the word "AI" with the word "steam", "electricity", "computers" or "Internet". All of them are just technological developments and it is up to us as a society to decide how we react to them.

Having listened to the debate, I believe we have three options: one, pull the plug, hunker down and pretend AI is not happening; two, take no risks and let somebody else do it; and three, try to be at the forefront and shape AI ourselves. In my view, we should be taking the third option. It is what we have done with other technological developments in this country. It has brought us challenges, but also significant benefits.

Like Deputy Gogarty's speech, mine is entirely written by AI, but it is my speech because I am the one who is going to read it. AI is not reading it into the record of this House; I am. It is my speech because I am the one who prompted it. I fed in not only one prompt but prompts concerning several external sources I trust and wanted to reference. It is my speech because I put in a prompt that was nearly as long as the output. That is the difference between one-line use of ChatGPT and how AI will be used. Large language models like ChatGPT are only the thin veneer of how AI will be used. In some ways, it is the thing that is most accessible to all of us. It will demonstrate how we can use the technology. In Beaumont Hospital, where I was only four weeks ago, they were using AI to carry out operations on patients. The surgeon logs in from the United States and carries out the surgery here in Beaumont.

As with any of the things we have talked about, there will be huge challenges. The issues of data, energy and regulation are all important and there is no way we should go into this without checks and believing the technology should have no limits. In fact, it should be the very opposite. When we consider the social media revolution, many of us wish we had intervened far earlier. By not intervening, we have limited our own ability to respond in society.

I wish the Minister of State the best of luck. I look forward to working with her in this area. I am not a tech expert either but I want to learn about AI and the societal challenges we face. AI will drive the consumption of water and energy, including wind energy in Ireland. Ireland has and will have the potential to be one of the leading exporters of wind energy in western Europe. That energy can power data centres as well as other areas. The prediction is we will be a net exporter of renewable energy. Let data centres be part of it, not for their sake but for that of all the benefits we have talked about.

Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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There has been a lot of hype and hot air over AI in general in recent years. Often, this has to do with consultants, sectors and groups trying to hype it up for commercial reasons. Many hope to make lots of money rolling out AI, implementing it and dealing with queries.

If, like me, you buy into AI – it is a fact of life we are going to have to deal and work with – you will realise that, in reality, it just involves the analysis of a whole lot of data, requiring a lot more computing power. That is where computing power comes in. It presents an opportunity for regional development in a way we have not had before. Deputy McAuliffe just mentioned energy. Onshore wind energy along the west coast is in surplus, and I hope this will eventually be the case for offshore wind energy. It will get better and better. Down the years, there has been great difficulty in having industrial development on that side of the country. As Lord Mayor, I did dog and pony shows with companies coming into the Dublin region. They wanted to invest only in Dublin. It was not a case of investing in Donegal or Dublin; it was Dublin or nowhere. We should now be considering an industrial development strategy to put the data centres on the west coast, not in Dublin. The grid in Dublin is at capacity. The generation of power is at capacity and it is difficult to do more in the Dublin region. However, the west coast and western region, from Mayo all the way up to Donegal, is ripe for development because of wind energy. For data, you need good links or connections. All the transatlantic cables come ashore in the region. The workforce requirements are limited enough but of high value once the infrastructure is in place and there is power. Power is the key. While there would be data centres on this side of the country importing power from the UK and farther afield, there could be data centres the other side of the country working off renewables. Moving wind-generated power from one side of the country to the other, from west to east, is expensive and requires a lot of infrastructure, so why do we not use the data centres needed for AI to rebalance development in favour of the western region? It is an opportunity and we should really look into it a lot more.

Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Artificial intelligence is not something coming down the tracks; it is already here. We are shaping how we do business, how our economy functions and how we interact as a society. The question is not whether we adopt AI but how we harness its potential for the greater good, ensuring that the risks are properly managed. In business and the economy, AI has the power to transform industries, improve productivity and create new opportunities. For Irish businesses, whether it is a global tech company in Dublin or a small enterprise in rural Galway, AI can automate routine tasks, drive efficiency and open up new possibilities for growth. If we embrace AI in the right way, it will not replace but will enhance jobs, freeing up people to focus on innovation and higher value work. To make this happen, however, we need the right supports in place. Small and medium-sized businesses must have access to funding, training and clear guidance to ensure they can adopt AI effectively rather than being left behind.

AI also has huge potential to improve society. In healthcare, it is already helping to diagnose illnesses earlier and improve patient care. In education, it can support personalised learning, making sure every student gets the help they need. In agriculture, AI can assist farmers in making better decisions, improving efficiency while reducing environmental impact. These are real, practical benefits that can improve people's lives if we use AI in the right way.

Crucially, the Government must lead by example. Our public services are under immense pressure, there can be no doubt, and AI can help drive efficiencies that will improve service delivery for people across the country. AI-powered chatbots and automation could streamline application processes for everything from passport renewals to planning permission considerations. It could cut down waiting times and reduce backlogs. In healthcare, AI could assist with administrative tasks like appointment scheduling and patient triaging, freeing up our front-line staff to focus on patient care. Even in policing, AI could be used to analyse crime patterns, helping gardaí allocate resources more effectively where they are needed.

These are not futuristic ideas; they are real solutions that other countries are already adopting. We must not fall behind but we also have to be clear-eyed about the risks. AI can lead to job displacement, misinformation and concerns about privacy and bias. If we do not have the right regulations in place, we risk undermining the trust in this technology. That is why Ireland must take a proactive approach, working with our European partners to shape AI policy that fosters innovation while protecting workers, consumers and society as a whole.

AI is a tool, and how we use it is up to us. We have a real opportunity to shape its development in a way that benefits Irish businesses, strengthens our economy and improves public services, but we need to act now, making sure the right supports, safeguards and policies are in place. AI should work for us, not the other way around.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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We are talking about AI and the future of technology in the State. The reality is that while technology has moved forward in leaps and bounds in some areas, we still have large portions of our public service operating off systems that are from the last century. The bus app in Cork that is run by Bus Éireann and the NTA is one of the most unreliable and useless pieces of technology or apps that people could have on their phones. This is because instead of using real-time information, the app operates on paper-based timetables. These timetables tell us the bus on Ballyhooly Road, in my constituency, will be three minutes. It has to do four stops in rush-hour traffic. If the driver were driving a jet, they could not do it in three minutes. I checked it on Google Maps. It says it is a minimum of eight minutes, and possibly longer, and that is without any congestion. When the bus gets to the bottom of the road, the app tells people three minutes. That is not the truth. That is not the reality. Drivers cannot feed into the app, the control room in Capwell cannot feed into the app, and what we have is a bus service run by Bus Éireann and an app run by the NTA that is virtually useless.

We talk about technology. How can we genuinely talk about the future of technology when people in the second largest city in this State are using an app that belongs in the Stone Age? In 2007, Google introduced real-time information on Google Maps. Seventeen years later, we are not using it to deliver reliable information on public transport. Fixing the app will not fix the crisis in the bus service in Cork but it will at least give people the information they need to know if they will get a bus or if a bus will be there, whether a bus will be five minutes or 20 minutes or will not come at all, one of these famous ghost buses. We have a Minister of State with responsibility for digitalisation and a Minister of State with responsibility for digital transformation, and this in itself shows the issues in our public service. Some hospitals are still operating on paper files in 2025 and with the technology that is out there, and we are talking about AI. If we cannot get our hospitals, which are a vital sector, right, then this all needs to be looked at and delivered on. People need to be able to depend on their information and vulnerable services need to be updated.

I will make one final point. A Deputy spoke a minute ago about pushing data centres out to the west coast. The west coast has been without power for weeks. They cannot get people in their homes, their schools or their colleges and we have Deputies here talking about sending data centres out there.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Guím gach rath ar an Aire Stáit ina post nua. Yesterday, I heard a Member of this House - I will not name anyone who is not here - speak and use his fake outrage for his little clip online about how he is annoyed that big tech will dominate this industry. As a recently qualified mechanical engineer who did my thesis on data centres and the waste heat potential they have, that is absolute codswallop. What does he suppose that we do when the countries around us develop this technology? Are we just going to sit back in the Iron Age and do nothing? In about five years' time, when the next election is on, what is he going to do then? Give out that everyone is emigrating? Of course they are emigrating. There are no jobs here because they are not being allowed to develop. I have just qualified from DCU and I have seen the amount of change. We have new courses for AI, data centres and data analysts. What are we going to do when these people qualify? Tell them, "Sorry, data centres are not allowed in Ireland. Go over to the UK or France."? It is ridiculous and no solutions are offered. It is just people giving out for their little audience. What are we going to do? Abandon technology in Ireland and turn our backs on progress? It is ridiculous. Let us be clear - and I know this from my thesis - that data centres and AI are not just tools. They are fundamental for the future of Ireland and for the wider economy as a whole. At the moment, there are 53,000 jobs in Ireland directly or indirectly linked to data centres. That is one in 50 people. What are we going to do when they get further stuff onto the State? It is absolute codswallop. I am sick of it. As I have already seen first-hand, and as I have just mentioned, the universities and technical universities are training this next generation. I have a degree in this, all my friends have degrees in this and there is not enough in Ireland already. Loads of my friends have emigrated. Let us jump and seize on this potential that we have in our climate. AI-powered automation is expected to increase by up to 20% by 2030, and the global AI market is projected to grow to €1.7 trillion by 2030. Ireland, due to our climate, is ideal for data centres. What are we going to do? My whole life I have seen us throw away our fossil fuels. Are we going to throw away another potential to benefit the Irish people? It is absolutely appalling.

I am happy to see that in the programme for Government there is an important restriction and it is stated that we want on-site renewable energy. I was not too delighted yesterday when I saw the CRU implement new rules that did not really focus on this. We need to put in these advancements and lean towards developments that create on-site renewable energy and, in the programme for Government on private wires legislation, allow the data centres to create their own energy, supplying other business parks. At the moment, yes, 20% of our electricity is being used by data centres. Great. Are we going to give out about it or are we going to give solutions? We should allow them to build their own solar panels, their own on-site energy, but not allow them to use greenwashing tactics for diesel generators and have it off-grid. That really needs to be done particularly well. There are brilliant people in all the universities of engineering who can come in and guide us through this, and I really encourage that to be done.

I know AI can be dangerous. I have seen videos of me online saying something I never said. However, the EU AI Act sets an important precedent for regulating the high risk of AI applications and I am delighted to see that. There needs to be data centre governance, as I have said, to demonstrate that big corporations need to do their part and commit to our grid and not just leach off it.

We have a choice to lead in our AI future, thereby ensuring our country and everyone here benefits from what is coming and ensuring it works with us rather than against us. This is not about Ireland's place. It is about ensuring we are going to be securing jobs for the future of Ireland. In short, there is a boom coming. Are we going to grab it and benefit the Irish people, following the programme for Government, and make sure we force multinationals to ensure they create green on-site energy and not allow them to use diesel generators? We have so much potential in this country. As I have already mentioned, for the future generations of Ireland, do not let us throw this away.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I thank everybody who took part in a very frank, honest and open debate. I really appreciate it. Everybody has pointed to aspects of its potential and the opportunity in democracy, healthcare, education and down to the everyday. You do not need to be a tech expert to get the benefit when we think about public transport, as Deputy Gould said. Deputy Conway-Walsh has been here for all the debate and had a very specific question around the National Training Fund. We will come back to her on that. There was another point too. What was it?

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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It was about the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and the board that was recommended.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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Okay. The Government has had the AI advisory council in situ since 2024.

I thank everybody for their contributions. They were very thought-out and passionate. I am on all sides because AI can be groundbreaking and has huge potential for the country. There is nobody in this Chamber who is uncaring or inconsiderate where climate and global effects are concerned. We will do it in a green way. That is what we have to do. We have got to get the balance right.

I emphasise that a key part of ensuring AI is widely adopted in the economy and in society more broadly is building public trust. Having such trust was a theme that came through today. It is at the heart of our national AI strategy. The Government has prioritised putting in place the appropriate governance mechanisms or guardrails to ensure AI is used responsibly in Ireland. Responsible use is another important aspect everybody has raised in this debate. However, it is also important there is a strong ecosystem of independent sources of expertise who will participate in building an evidence-based understanding of AI among the public.

Speaking of independent sources of expertise, this brings me to the AI advisory council. I had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Patricia Scanlon and several members of the Government’s AI advisory council with the Minister, Deputy Burke, last week. These are incredibly bright, smart people who are advising the Department and the Government at a very high level. They have presented a paper to the incoming Government that I will review and consider. We had a very good discussion and all of them are giving their time and services for free. That must be acknowledged too. Their advice paper outlines key opportunities and strategic policy recommendations to accelerate AI adoption in Ireland while safeguarding our economy, our competitiveness, our workforce and our society. The paper examines six critical areas, including the future of skills and work; the development of a robust AI ecosystem; enhancements in AI literacy and education, which Deputy McAuliffe spoke about; strategies in AI sovereignty and infrastructure; the responsibility of using biometrics in public services; and the transformative impact of AI on Ireland’s creative sector. As someone who came through the NCAD, I am very mindful of where this leaves artists and intellectual property in the creative industries that are out there. It must be a very difficult time as we make our way through this. The report will be considered by the relevant Government Departments over the coming weeks. The council has given freely of its time and advice and it is very much appreciated by me and all my colleagues in the Dáil, I am sure.

A number of AI advisory council members were in Paris last week at the AI Action Summit, which was hosted by President Macron and attended by the Taoiseach. There was much talk and coverage of the EU approach to regulation at the Paris summit. From Ireland’s perspective, the closest possible regulatory convergence between the EU and the US on AI and digital technologies is in our interest. This includes advancing a transatlantic digital marketplace as set out in the Draghi report. Ensuring that Ireland’s voice is heard in international forums on the governance of AI and that Ireland is a leader in the implementation of the EU AI Act are key elements of our focus. Ireland is a trustworthy voice for small economies and a constructive international partner in international AI discussions at a time when there are risks to the rules-based order. We intend to emphasise this through our role as a guest country at the G20 in 2025, at the invitation of South Africa.

The Government strongly supports the commitment in the European Commission’s competitive compass to "simpler, lighter, faster”. This will ensure EU regulation is fit for competitiveness. In keeping with the EU approach, the new programme for Government commits to “Simplify and modernise our regulatory framework to ensure Ireland remains competitive within the EU and globally, facilitating continued investment”. That is really important. We will update the National Digital Strategy to bring together digital policy and regulatory responsibilities and to invest to make Ireland an EU centre of expertise in digital and data regulation and a regulatory hub for companies operating across the EU Digital Single Market. With 15 of the 25 very large online platforms and search engines under the Digital Services Act established in Ireland, it is and was a priority for the Government to put in place a well resourced and efficient digital services co-ordinator in Coimisiún na Meán. Ireland will deliver an equally well resourced and efficient implementation of the EU AI Act to provide certainty and transparency along the AI supply chain. Ireland recognises that general purpose AI, GPAI, models are the engines of AI innovation and is working through the European Artificial Intelligence Board and bilaterally with the European Commission’s AI office to ensure the EU remains competitive for GPAI investment and innovation.

I will conclude on a note of empowerment. This technology is developing rapidly but it is not something we can allow to happen passively, as I said in my earlier remarks. It is not for other people like technologists and computer scientists, but for us all to educate ourselves and to understand what technology transition means. The choices made by people, government, businesses, researchers, workers and the elected representatives in this House will determine its future. We are all responsible for AI. I will ask my Department to try to bring the CeADAR scheme, which is available to everybody, into the Houses of the Oireachtas to make it accessible for Members to bring themselves up to speed as much as possible. We will ensure AI continues to play a positive role in the world by improving our lives and creating a better future for generations to come. As I said, AI is here to stay, it is here for good and we have to embrace it but also recognise the challenges.