Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 18 November 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence, Truth and Democracy: Discussion
2:00 am
Mr. Art O'Leary:
Last year and this year, we ran campaigns in respect of the elections. The tag line was very simple. It was to the effect that if there is one day of the year when you question everything that you read, see and hear, it is April Fool's Day. The message to people was that during an election campaign, they should treat every day like April Fool's Day and ask where information is coming from, who benefits from it and where is the best place to go to check it. That went viral because it captured the imagination of young people in particular. It is those kinds of campaigns that we need to start investing in. We need to speak in a language that people understand, because, as the Cathaoirleach mentioned, this is moving very quickly. In the context of the 2020 general election, TikTok did not exist. By 2024, it was the main communications channel for us in respect of young people. Who knows what will be in 2029?