Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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365. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment his plans to improve AI literacy on a national level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37376/25]

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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A key part of the 2024 Refresh of the National AI Strategy is a commitment to ensuring people better understand the benefits, risks, safeguards, rights, and responsibilities in relation to the use of AI systems. This focus on AI literacy is central to ensuring that our society is empowered to engage with AI technologies in an informed and confident manner.

Under the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, providers and deployers of AI systems (e.g. companies and public bodies) must ensure that their employees, contractors and other relevant individuals have a sufficient level of AI literacy.

To this end, my Department has worked with CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for AI to develop an online AI literacy training course “AI for You: Introduction to AI and the EU AI Act”. This course is available free of cost to all citizens and enterprises and is designed to introduce the fundamentals of AI in an accessible way.

The AI Advisory Council was established in 2024 with a specific focus on building public trust in AI. Experts from the council have participated in hundreds of public engagements to promote understanding and confidence in trustworthy AI.

AI literacy is also an integral component of Ireland’s literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy 2024-2033 which aims to promote the development of essential literacy skills for every citizen from birth to young adulthood.

The embedding of digital skills, including AI, in teaching and learning at school level will help to ensure that Ireland has a future oriented workforce and population with the skills to drive the development, deployment and use of AI to increase productivity and benefit society. This is reflected in the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027 which aims to ensure that all learners gain the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the digital world. The Department of Education is currently finalising guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning.

For workers across multiple sectors, there is a wide range of AI related upskilling and reskilling initiatives via Skillnet Ireland, and the Springboard+ programme.

Finally, Adapt, the Research Ireland Centre at Dublin City University, in partnership with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), has secured national funding to lead Ireland’s first dedicated AI literacy campaign for older adults. The Age-Friendly AI initiative will engage more than 60,000 older people across Ireland in order to empower them to navigate the challenges and opportunities of AI, and to understand concepts related to the technology.

We are committed to continue to work across government, education, and industry to build a digitally confident and AI-literate society.