Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)

The Deputy makes valid points on this. The Government has not made a decision yet. We are going through a lot of the issues and seeking advice on them. Hopefully, in the coming months, we will be able to go to Government with a memorandum on the final structure. Enforcement and independence are key. It is important we have public trust in artificial intelligence. Some of the areas the Deputy referenced will be looked at in detail. I also note the distributive model we have taken. For example, we have the Health Products Regulatory Authority looking after drugs and products like that, and the Irish Aviation Authority looking after aviation. That model will stand to us because it really goes to the expertise that has been built up in the State and people know the areas they have been regulating in the past.

The AI office will draw all of that together and will look at areas where we can enhance AI and areas where we can work in a safe manner. Obviously, we have our regulatory sandbox as well, which will be brought up. That will provide a key opportunity as will some of the tertiary partnerships. It is an exciting space but the Deputy is right that we do have to be careful and ensure our independence and public trust which is key in the opportunities that will be there in the future.

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