Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for being here to address the question of a national office on artificial intelligence. It is very much within her brief. I welcome the commitments she has made to open a national office on artificial intelligence, establish an AI observatory in order that we will have evidence-based research on the social and economic impact and potential of and the opportunities presented by AI and host an AI summit during the course of Ireland's EU Presidency in the second half of next year.

The Minister of State is aware that the committee on artificial intelligence is very keen to have this AI office established. I have spoken to her about it several times. Our colleague Deputy Ó Cearúil has even brought forward legislation in this regard. It is critical that we get to know how the office will function. It is important in the long term that it is independent. In the early days following its establishment, it will require a lot of support from the Department.

I see it as having two main roles, which the Minister of State might outline further. There is the regulatory function, which will be to oversee the implementation and enforcement of the artificial intelligence Act. Equally, there is the information and support function, particularly for SMEs and small organisations, to enable them to innovate and support them in being able to avail of the potential of AI. There is also the element of how we can use AI in the public services for the more efficient and effective delivery of public services.

I would like to hear from the Minister of State how she envisages the governance structure of the national office on AI.

Will it be similar to some of the other regulators? It will need to be a body that has the respect of other regulatory bodies. It will obviously be critically important that the named bodies that have responsibility in this space liaise with the national office and that the national office will also identify where there are cracks in the system where data is being used so that it can take action. It is also important that the voices of children and young people are heard in establishing the office. I urge the setting up of a youth advisory panel similar to the youth advisory panel in Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator. That is a good model. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children also has a youth advisory panel. Two representatives of that panel came before our committee this week. They were very effective and informed witnesses.

We should not underestimate the scale of the operation that will need to be established. I have looked at the national AI office in Spain. As the Minister of State knows, this was established two years ago in September 2023. There are many divisions within that office. It has departments for innovation; AI aimed at public administration; certification, instruction and supervision; trend identification and social impact; alignment and co-ordination; and awareness, training and promotion. As I have said, that is also critical because this cannot just be a department of "Thou shalt not" but must be a department of "Thou shall, this is how and this is how we are going to help you".

I welcome the Minister of State's announcement that we are proceeding with this office apace but, particularly as we are now implementing the AI Act, it is important that we hear from the Minister of State the detail of how this office will operate.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I congratulate the Deputy on the work he is doing in the artificial intelligence committee. I listened in to most of this week's meeting. As the Deputy has said, the young people who spoke were very articulate and great advocates for the young person's perspective on artificial intelligence and the impact it will have. I thank the Deputy and the committee for the work they are doing. They are doing us all a service in interrogating the issues in this area.

As the Deputy will be aware, the EU AI Act entered into force in August 2024 with a very ambitious timeline for national implementation. The role of AI across our economy and society is of crucial importance and provides all of us with huge opportunities while also necessitating guardrails around its deployment. I believe that is what the Deputy is referencing when he talks about our sandboxes and that national AI office. It is about having space for innovation and creativity. Start-up companies must be very clear on the guardrails but the development of such companies or the AI apps we will see in the future should not be inhibited. That is an ambition of mine. It should be a positive rather than a negative. It should not be a regulatory body that just says "No, you cannot do this" but a place where people can experiment and be certain that what they are creating and devising is human-centred and will not provide any harmful content. As Chair of the Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, the Deputy will be fully aware of the need to drive innovation while also protecting our citizens.

While the details of the AI office are being finalised and my Department has retained professional consultancy services to assist, four clear functions for the AI office have currently been established. The first is to co-ordinate the competent authorities' activities to ensure consistent implementation of the EU AI Act in Ireland. I had the pleasure of facilitating one of those meetings last week. We had the 15 competent authorities in the room and all on the same page with an ambition to do this. The second function is to act as a single point of contact for the EU AI Act and the third is to facilitate centralised access to technical expertise for the competent authorities, as required. The final function is to drive AI innovation and adoption through the hosting of a regulatory sandbox and to act as a focal point for AI in Ireland encompassing regulation, innovation and deployment.

My officials are currently developing the general scheme of the regulation of artificial intelligence Bill. This general scheme will provide for the implementation and enforcement of the AI Act at a national level in domestic legislation, including the establishment of the new AI office as an independent statutory agency. I take the Deputy's point. In its infancy, the office will be set up under my Department but, as the Deputy knows, the final creation will be an independent statutory entity. The Minister, Deputy Burke, will bring the general scheme to Government in the next four weeks.

Detailed work plans have been developed to ensure the AI office is in place by August 2026. These are informed by research and analysis prepared for my Department by leading professional services firms. Funding for the new office will be determined as part of budget 2026. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative. As the Deputy himself has said on many occasions, this cannot be something that happens within the Department of enterprise alone. A whole-of-government approach must be taken. I was delighted to see the Minister, Deputy Jack Chambers, launch guidelines on the implementation of AI within public services at the beginning of the summer. The implementation of the AI Act is truly a cross-government initiative and I look forward to working in a very collaborative way across government to ensure Ireland achieves its ambition of being a centre of regulatory excellence and maintaining its place as a leader in human-centric and responsible AI.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State very much. I very much welcome the fact that the general scheme is going to be coming before Government, that we will see legislation in place to underpin this office by next summer and that the office will be in place by August 2026. As the Minister of State knows, resourcing is critical to this. During debate on the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, the Minister of State and I talked about Coimisiún na Meán and ensuring that it was adequately resourced. I am not just talking about budgets but also about putting in place qualified personnel. It needs to be an office that will command respect. Working with those other competent authorities is critical. The commitment to have the office in place by August 2026 is important.

I do not know if the Minister of State can outline how she envisages some of the governance structures. Does she see there being a board? How will that board be formulated? The Minister of State praised the young people I mentioned. I ask that she commits to a youth advisory panel as part of this to ensure we hear the voices of children and young people along with everyone else in society because this has to be human-centric.

I certainly envisage that, if the office is in place, it will have input into the creation of the observatory because having evidence-based data to inform our policy decisions and to be prepared for trends, whether disruption to employment or opportunities in healthcare, is important. It will obviously be critical for the AI summit the Minister of State and her Department will be hosting during the latter half of next year. It is very ambitious. I welcome and applaud the Minister of State's ambition. I just need certainty that we are going to be able to achieve it.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I think the Deputy knows my work rate and work pace. I certainly intend to be a driving force to ensure this happens. As he has said, three big things have to happen as quickly as possible in the lifetime of this Government. The first is the establishment of the AI office. The second is the establishment of the AI observatory, which is critically important to predict the impacts AI will have, including where jobs will be created and where they will be displaced, so that we can be resilient rather than just reacting. On the third piece, I am happy to confirm to the Deputy that we will be holding an AI summit in October 2026 as part of the European Presidency. I look forward to the Deputy and his committee collaborating with me on that. We can work collaboratively on that.

The EU AI Act is a pivotal regulation that is horizontal in nature, that is risk-based and provides the necessary guardrails for transparency and the ethical adoption of AI to protect our citizens. The AI Act also supports AI innovation and will have a positive impact on our economy and our society at large. That is a critical message I would like to deliver today. This should not be seen as a negative. The many start-ups I have met so far are all very keen to see the regulation in place. They do not see it as a negative. They see it as a positive. We are seen as a country of excellence when it comes to regulation.

AI will be no different because it gives people a pathway. They know what they can and cannot do. They know what the expectations are. We will drive that as a place for innovation and not stifle creativity in any way.

The Government is committed to ensuring that Ireland is a leader in the digital and AI economy and recognises that harnessing the potential of AI and digital technologies more broadly is vital to maintaining our competitiveness, driving productivity and ensuring that Ireland maintains its position as the location of choice for doing business. When I say that, I mean globally. I thank the Deputy for his comments and questions and look forward to working with him on the three big ticket items.