Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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143. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he plans to enhance the promotion of CeADAR's educational supports for Irish businesses, including free courses and access to AI regulatory sandboxes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22576/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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CeADAR, Ireland’s national AI centre, receives funding from my Department via the Enterprise Ireland and IDA Technology Centre Programme. This funding allows CeADAR to work closely with a large number of companies and to assist them to understand, adopt, and leverage AI and machine learning.

CeADAR also receives funding from my Department from the Recovery and Resilience Facility, co-funded by the European Union Digital Europe Programme, to deliver Ireland's European Digital Innovation Hub for AI. Through this Hub, CeADAR primarily provides listed services to SMEs and public services organisations free of charge to assist them to adopt advanced AI technologies ensuring that they can adapt quickly to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. As part of the EDIH Programme, CeADAR is funded to run outreach events every year to engage with industry and raise awareness of the supports they provide under the programme.

At the request of my Department, CeADAR developed an online, self-paced introductory training course on AI to help companies develop AI literacy among their staff. It also outlines obligations that apply to certain AI systems under the EU AI Act. This course was launched in February and is freely available to companies. The course is being promoted through CeADAR and my Department.

In terms of the AI regulatory sandbox, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, provides for the establishment of national AI regulatory sandbox to facilitate the development and testing of innovative AI systems under strict regulatory oversight before these systems are placed on the market or otherwise put into service. The Act stipulates that the sandbox must be operational by August 2026.

My Department, in conjunction with other Government Departments and public authorities, is currently assessing the optimal national structure for the implementation of the EU AI Act, including the establishment of national sandbox facilities and associated dissemination and reporting mechanisms.