Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 7 October 2025

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence and Disability: Discussion

2:00 am

Dr. Dónal Fitzpatrick:

What is interesting about this - Dr. Craddock just mentioned mainstreaming of accessibility and universal design, and AI - is the fact that AI-based systems can be integrated into other devices. For example, one case of use on the phone - the Deputy is looking for practical examples - is where a photo comes in on a messaging app. It can be shared with an AI-based image recogniser which will tell someone who is blind or visually impaired what is in the photograph. It could be a family photograph. Of course, that comes with privacy concerns. Potentially, images of minors could be shared. What is happening to those images and so on? However, that integration or mainstreaming of AI into our daily lives is hugely important.