Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an deis labhairt faoi intleacht shaorga, IS, sa Teach. I can assure him, given that my approach to AI is going to be person-centred, that there will always be a person standing in this spot to offer a response.

As the Senator knows, the national Al strategy, Al - Here for Good, has been in place for two years. We published a progress report on this strategy on 9 August 2023. The progress report highlighted many of the achievements thus far, including, as referenced by the Senator, the appointment of an Al ambassador, Dr. Patricia Scanlon, who is doing superb work and who has completed her first year in the role; the establishment of an enterprise digital advisory forum; the publication of the National Standards Authority of Ireland, NSAI, Al standards and assurance roadmap; and the establishment of Ireland's European digital innovation hub for Al, CeADAR, at UCD.

Priorities for the year ahead will include supporting businesses, enterprise and workers on Al adoption, as well as upskilling, reskilling and adapting. The Al innovation hub will also have a key role here. My Department will work closely with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, on principles and guidelines for the use of Al in the public sector. Regulation is an enormous part of our approach, and influencing the regulation of Al in Ireland and internationally, in particular the development of the EU Al Act, will be a key priority.

The Senator has asked for an update on the Act. As he knows and has referenced, the Act aims to set out harmonised rules for the development, placement on the market and use of Al systems in the European Union. The proposed regulation aims to ensure the regulation of fundamental rights and user safety, as well as trust in the development and uptake of Al, thereby enhancing EU investment and innovation. The fourth inter-institutional trilogue meeting is scheduled for 24 October, and at this stage we are expecting an agreement on the regulation at the latest by spring 2024.The team in Brussels is working hard to ensure that our priorities are replicated and that we get the file across the line within the time period. When we have the finalised Act we will publicise it and ensure there is awareness of what is in it, including its challenges and its potential. I take on board Senator Byrne's suggestion on the EU AI office.

The operational and practical impacts of the regulation will depend on the final outcome. We continue to monitor the developments. We will draft a regulatory impact assessment for the implementation and enforcement framework. We will ensure it is implemented coherently, with functions being assigned to the appropriate bodies in this jurisdiction.

Officials are actively involved in negotiations on the Council of Europe legal convention on AI. In November I will attend the UK summit on AI, which will be hosted by the Prime Minister Mr. Sunak in London. With the guardrails, and the work at government and industry level, we will ensure trust in AI and, most importantly, in turn we will support ongoing responsible innovation in AI on the island of Ireland.