Dr. Loretta O'Sullivan:

If we come at this from a macro picture perspective, we see that sustainability and digitalisation, of which AI is part, are reshaping our economies. They are going to be fundamentally different over time. We are at a point now where it is early days. As it emerges that we need new skills, particularly in the context of the sustainability piece and green skills, things will be quite different going forward. Technology will change and we will need new skills in terms of AI and, as they come to fruition and as we discover what those new jobs and new needs are, that will start to filter through. It will start immediately with those who are in the workforce having to adapt, upskill and retrain. At the same time, we will be looking to what is coming and allowing that to trickle down through the education system. It is to be hoped that will happen in tandem so that we are ready when this really takes off. Again, to speak to the point about collaboration, this is related to that old idea about joined-up thinking. It involves different Departments, different areas of government and different areas of society and business coming together to try to forge a way through. This is something we are shaping now and, collectively, we can shape it. The path of least resistance will be the worst outcome. It is hard work and smart policy interventions that will give us the better outcomes.