James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that. I commend the work done to date. I acknowledged the Minister of State's report in August and, as has been mentioned, the appointment a year previously of Dr. Scanlon. The State is ahead of the pack, which I am very glad to see. It befits our status as a digital employer and digital hub for so many multinationals and, indeed, indigenous companies that are very advanced in the technology space.

We see inconsistencies in the approaches around the world, from Italy's ban on ChatGPT initially to other more sophisticated engagements. Several firms have prohibited the use of ChatGPT and AI tools for public-facing and client-facing documents. I am not sure whether the Civil Service or the public service have adopted such a code. One of the security concerns around the technology is that, notwithstanding the usefulness of the tools, information submitted to a chat agent or AI agent can then become part of the wider thread of knowledge. In some cases, information submitted may be sensitive, and having it in the wider domain may not be desirable. Others may draw it down inadvertently but this is one of the reasons we need to put advisory steps and guidelines in place. Perhaps the Minister of State will advise us on whether the public service has adopted a code of conduct or guidelines. That would be helpful to know.

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