Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I am. Like Senator Ruane, I am trying to keep track of a couple of committee meetings that are ongoing.

I thank the Cathaoirleach and our guests for the very compelling subject matter that, obviously, is critical in the context of the safety of children. I am sure the Cathaoirleach is aware that some time ago, Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, asked Elon Musk what he thought of artificial intelligence. His reply was that there will come a time when no job that we currently know will be necessary and everything will be done by artificial intelligence. What is abundantly clear is that while that is somewhat true, there is an oversight role for somebody. A question arises as to how we construct that most effectively. Is there international best practice that we can emulate? If we can cut and paste rather than, if you will pardon the regressive pun, reinvent the wheel in the context of artificial intelligence, it would be a much easier job.

Like many others, I watched the news coverage of the recent hearings on Capitol Hill about social media companies and the adverse impact of their platforms on child health and the gamut of adverse incidents, including suicide, which was referenced earlier, that have occurred. It was suggested in one of the interactions that TikTok's operation in China is much more benign than might be the case in less regulated countries where the worst excesses can occur. I suspect that for the ICCL, authoritarian regimes like that in China might not exactly fall under its favourable analysis. If it is true, however, it certainly suggests it is technologically possible to move step for step with these social media companies in terms of control.

Much is expected of Coimisiún na Meán, and that was referenced earlier as well. Is there best practice out there or are we all learning on the job? There is undoubtedly an increased appetite, certainly among the public and, I think, politicians, for greater oversight and regulation. However, some of us are intimidated - and I put my hand up in this regard - because we are not perhaps as technologically literate as younger generations. We struggle sometimes to comprehend what is possible from a legislative point of view and what is feasible when it comes to the interface between legislation and technology. Because these things are changing so rapidly, we also have to look at how best to design the oversight aspect in order to take that into account. This is a roundabout way of saying that, as parents and as legislators, we want to do the right thing for the betterment of society.

Is there international best practice? I will hone in specifically on the point that came across at the hearings on Capitol Hill. These companies have different offerings in different regulated areas. In the context of the questioning of the CEO of TikTok at the hearings in question, it seemed to be suggested that is a much more benign offering in mainland China because of the level oversight there than is the case maybe in the US or here. I am interested in any comments in that regard.