Sinéad Gibney (Dublin Rathdown, Social Democrats)
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294. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his Department has taken advice in respect of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the Department; if any section of his Department currently makes use of AI; 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 AI. [7055/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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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 in February 2024 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.

I can confirm that while some staff in my Department have spoken to, or attended information events on AI provided by, consultancy firms, this has been for general information purposes and we have not paid for any consultancy on AI to date.

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.