Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 29 May 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Businesses: Discussion (Resumed)
Mr. Kieran McCorry:
On the accessibility element, we have an accessibility programme as well as part of our overall skills training programmes globally and locally. We are very focused on that. There is one thing I would say - and we are already showcasing some examples of this - which is the benefits that derive from using generative AI technology for people with accessibility issues. In particular there is one example we are showcasing at the moment in relation to people with autism and some of the tools like copilot in Microsoft Teams where there is the opportunity for people who may have some attention difficulty issues to use copilot to get a summary of what has happened if they have become distracted by people joining or entering those meetings. We are seeing real life examples of how that is useful.
I will make one other point, which Dr. Rubel raised it earlier, about diversity and inclusion overall. Some recent LinkedIn data shows that only 27% of women are involved in AI in the workplace. There is a real discrepancy there that we need to try to address to some extent to redress that imbalance.