Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Any new technology presents incredible opportunities but also a lot of challenges. If we can explore, as colleagues have mentioned, how the State can use this new technology to more efficiently and effectively deliver public services so that there are better outcomes, it will be a good thing. I am excited about areas like healthcare and education where, if AI can improve outcomes, it could be transformative.

It is critical that we do not have digital divides and that we bring everybody with us. Technology always carries the risk of creating those divides. There is an obvious challenge for our education and training systems. Lifelong learning is required because this technology will have an impact on everybody. It is not going to impact on only one sector of society. As Deputy Keogh mentioned, AI will impact on agriculture. I have been fortunate to see some of what has been happening in healthcare where AI is transformative in being able to identify diseases early on. While there will be employment displacement, I believe we will see workers who use artificial intelligence replace workers who do not use it. It is about how we equip everybody to address those challenges.

I am one of those people who do not believe that innovation and regulation are mutually exclusive. I think we can have both. It is about getting the right form of regulation and not overregulating. At the same time, as with any new technology, we need to put in place product safety measures.

Senator Ruane is right. Part of our challenge is about knowing the right questions to ask. That is why we will hear from a lot of expert witnesses. It will be a learning process for all of us.

I am conscious that Deputy Ó Cearúil is caught between this meeting and the meeting of the committee on the Irish language. He has left but he indicated he will come back.

I thank my colleagues for their contributions. They have given us a broad flavour of where we are with regard to artificial intelligence. We will allow members to give their perspectives as we move on.

We will now engage with our witnesses. I invite Dr. Ciarán Seoighe, deputy chief executive of Research Ireland, to make an opening statement, after which, on the basis of a draw, we will go to members for questions and answers.