John McGahon (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Senator Ruane has made many good points. As she said at the end of her contribution, it is about having the full body of knowledge when it comes to the use of AI. These amendments have led to a good discussion. I hope, at some stage in the future, the House will have a wider debate on the use of technology, including AI.

I agree with the Senator's point that chief executives of local authorities are not properly trained to engage with CCTV. That training requirement is a really important aspect for the Government to roll out across every local authority to ensure they all have the same level of ability to react to this new type of technology. There has to be a certain level of privacy concerns and an awareness of the impact on civil liberties. We should make no mistake that technology is here to stay. I always make the point that technology, particularly AI, evolves at a fast pace that could nearly be said to be lightning speed. It can be very difficult for governments to keep up with it.

I do not agree with everything proposed in these amendments but I like the overall flow of what is being proposed. It can lead us to a good debate on the wider aspects of AI technology and some of the safeguards and privacy concerns that we, as a Government, need to consider.