Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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540. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if his Department has taken advice in respect of the use of artificial intelligence (A.I.) within his Department; if any section of his Department currently makes use of A.I., and if he will outline the purposes it is utilised for and costs associated with same; and if he has consulted with any consultancy firms in respect of the use of A.I. [38572/23]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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With regard to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within my Department, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which is a Division of my Department, has begun assessing AI using discussions with Industry and Academia and various secondary research. The OGCIO has deployed AI powered security tools as part of our overall security posture. The OGCIO has not engaged with any consultancy firms in respect of the use of AI. The Department does not comment on security measures, including related investment, to manage the integrity of its services.

Apart from this, the Department is not currently making use of AI in any other internal areas. The Department has taken advice from a consultancy firm in relation to an idea to explore whether or not AI could be implemented in a pensions helpdesk to streamline the volume of queries received and improve customer experience. No decisions have been made in this regard and no costs have been incurred to date.