Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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177. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide a detailed breakdown of all funding allocated for the year ahead or spent in the past fiscal year by his Department on artificial intelligence systems or artificial intelligence research; what programmes or Department operations are conducted using artificial intelligence tools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3712/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Firstly, I would like to inform the Deputy that my Department complies with the “Interim Guidelines for Use of AI in the Public Service” issued by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform last February and also with guidance issued to all Government Departments in June 2023 by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in relation to the cyber security aspects.

To further support our modernisation of immigration services, my department has recently deployed an AI assistant and smart chatbot using Microsoft Copilot, which provides assistance to both applicants and staff. The smart assistant is accessed through an authenticated portal on the immigration website. In implementing this solution, my department has leveraged Generative AI in a low-risk, fully compliant, way to offer enhanced digital services including appointment booking and status inquiries to applicants via the portal and to staff by means of an internal customer service resource.

The costs associated with this Microsoft technology were €19,923 in 2024. This covers the costs from implementation in October 2024 up to 31st May 2025 when the current agreement ends. Further costs will be incurred from 1st June 2025; these are subject to the pricing received in a new procurement exercise but, based on current usage, would be expected to be in the region of €25k per annum.

My Department will continue to assess the opportunities presented by all digital tools, including AI, to improve the delivery, efficiency and accessibility of services to our customers. It is not possible at this time to predict what these will cost however they will be procured in line with the guidance of the Office of Government Procurement and in compliance with the guidelines set out above.