AI - Here for Good: A National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Ireland

Dfehris]

Government will increase AI adoption across businesses of all sizes by establishing an AI Innovation Hub to guide enterprises through adoption, working with industry on awareness building and capacity support, examining data and infrastructure needs, establishing an Enterprise Digital Advisory Board to assess resources and develop targeted funding, and creating a national platform for collaboration between multinational corporations and small-to-medium enterprises. Government will also consider public service AI adoption with appropriate safeguards through the GovTech Delivery Board, develop principles for trustworthy AI, address talent development, use public procurement to drive innovation in ethical and trustworthy AI, map the AI research ecosystem, identify sectors for AI testbeds, and promote Irish participation in international AI research and development programmes.

[dfheris, sfi/ dete]

Outlines planned actions to strengthen AI research and innovation capacity, including exploring all-island cooperation on AI through joint initiatives and promoting Ireland's capabilities to attract international research talent.

Dete/ dfa]

Ireland's AI strategy commits to reviewing AI skills implications within five to ten years and supporting higher education, workplace upskilling, gender balance in AI careers, and employment permit criteria for critical AI skills; establishing an expert group to improve women's engagement in AI professions; building world-class data and connectivity infrastructure including expanded public sector data and trusted data sharing mechanisms; and establishing trustworthy data governance frameworks, ethical data sharing standards for public services, and expanded open government data for AI applications with specific public sector datasets for climate purposes. The strategy defines AI as machine-based systems with varying autonomy that make predictions, recommendations or decisions using data, commits to OECD principles and EU frameworks emphasizing technological capacity and trustworthy approaches, and identifies risks including job displacement, opaque decision-making, discrimination and security concerns while balancing risk mitigation with innovation through ethical governance frameworks. Ireland's vision is to lead internationally in people-centred and ethical AI, pursuing seven objectives spanning public trust, governance, enterprise and public sector adoption, research innovation, workforce readiness, and data infrastructure, with commitments to develop and use AI with trust, transparency and accountability.

AI for environment and climate action

Highlights AI applications for climate and environmental goals, including energy efficiency monitoring and risk management. Recognises the need to balance AI benefits against its own energy demands by encouraging data centres to adopt sustainable practices aligned with circular economy principles.

AI for health

Identifies healthcare as a key area where AI can enhance patient outcomes and clinical effectiveness, with demonstrated value during the COVID-19 pandemic in vaccine development, outbreak prediction, contact tracing and supply chain optimisation.

AI for social inclusion

Recognises AI's potential to address inequalities through improved accessibility and inclusion in employment, education and daily life, with applications including assistive technologies for healthcare, educational tools for people with disabilities, and accessibility features for people with sensory impairments.

State investment in the ongoing development of AI for societal good

Science Foundation Ireland finances AI research for societal benefit in areas including sustainable cities, safer transport, agriculture, health and environmental understanding, with the SFI Future Innovator Prize Challenge Fund supporting interdisciplinary teams addressing national and global challenges and the government intending to expand challenge funds in areas of national importance with significant social impact. The government will designate an AI ambassador to build public and business awareness of AI as a positive economic and societal force and lead national dialogue on AI's ethical and compliant use, while expanding AI education initiatives including the free Elements of AI online course targeting at least 1% of the Irish population, engaging young people through Comhairle na nÓg, increasing AI for Societal Good challenge funding, and incorporating AI into climate policy development.

Potential for discrimination and bias

This section identifies risks of unfair treatment arising from biased training data, algorithm design or application, and notes that AI may worsen structural inequalities for vulnerable groups. Solutions proposed include creating an appropriate legal framework, promoting ethics guidance, and establishing standards and certification systems.

Transparency and accountability

Making AI systems' decision-making processes transparent and comprehensible is essential for building public trust and enabling accountability. The proposed EU regulatory framework aims to create an ecosystem of trust through proportionate, risk-based rules that address fundamental rights concerns while supporting innovation.

Proposed EU horizontal regulatory framework for AI

The EU is establishing a regulatory framework based on a risk-based approach, combining mandatory rules for high-risk systems with voluntary oversight mechanisms like standards and regulatory sandboxes for lower-risk applications. Ireland supports this multi-layered approach combining laws, regulation and voluntary measures.

High risk

High-risk AI systems such as those used in recruitment or medical devices are permitted but subject to compliance with requirements and prior conformity assessment. The section also notes that some systems with specific transparency obligations, such as impersonation bots, fall into a separate category.

Minimal or no risk role of relevant national authorities and regulatory bodies

Effective monitoring and enforcement through notifying authorities at Member State level and a European Artificial Intelligence Board is essential for the governance framework. Ireland will consider establishing a coordinated mechanism for regulators to address digital and AI matters.

Experimental regulation, regulatory sandboxes for AI

The EU encourages Member States to create regulatory sandboxes where small and medium enterprises can test innovative AI solutions in controlled real-world settings with supervision and safeguards. Ireland will examine the potential for establishing sandboxes in selected sectors.

Impact of AI on existing regulation

Existing regulations generally apply to AI contexts, but legal gaps may emerge where current rules do not adequately address AI's novel risks. Ireland is examining multiple regulatory areas including data protection, justice, intellectual property and consumer protection to identify where guidance or new rules are needed.

The EU ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI

The EU published Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI based on three components: legality, ethics and robustness, with seven detailed requirements including human oversight, technical safety and accountability. An online assessment tool helps developers and users evaluate their systems against these requirements, supported by an Irish innovation hub advising businesses.

International AI governance

International organisations including the UN, UNESCO, OECD and Council of Europe are promoting human rights-based approaches to AI through principles, recommendations and working groups. Ireland actively participates in these forums, including the Global Partnership on AI, to help shape international governance frameworks.

Ethical and human rights impact assessments of AI systems

Impact assessments help identify and mitigate potential harms from AI deployment and can be voluntary or legally required. Ireland will ensure that public sector use of AI, particularly in sensitive areas like policing, incorporates appropriate safeguards including impact assessments to uphold ethical and human rights principles.

Promoting research on ethical and societal implications of AI

Irish research institutions conduct ethics and AI research through groups and institutes at universities, including projects on inclusive robotics, privacy and big data. Ireland participates in European research initiatives; Trinity established an international fellowship program connecting arts and humanities researchers with computer scientists and engineers on AI ethics, and Maynooth University rolled out a law and technology module for undergraduates.

Standards

Standards enable AI to meet accountability and trust requirements through technical implementation, evaluation, and certification pathways. Ireland participates in international standardisation work through its National Standards Authority and maintains expertise in AI standardisation supported by EU-funded training initiatives. A coordinated team led by the National Standards Authority is developing a roadmap for AI standards and assurance, working with academia, industry and regulators to provide guidance for Irish organizations adopting AI safely.

33. iso/iec jtc 1 sc 42. certification

Presents certification schemes and codes of conduct as mechanisms to verify trustworthy AI data handling and to address risks including bias and discrimination. The Top Team will examine certification and codes of conduct addressing specific AI processing aspects such as transparency, fairness assessment, auditability, data security and GDPR compliance.

Dfehris]

The government will support widespread adoption of AI across Irish enterprises of all sizes through awareness-building, experimentation opportunities, capacity-building assistance and implementation support, promoting interaction between research institutions and industry, encouraging collaboration and knowledge transfer between small and medium enterprises and large multinational businesses, and encouraging use of AI to transform business models for productivity gains. As of 2020, 35% of Irish businesses had adopted at least one AI technology, while 52% had not adopted AI and did not plan to, with the Irish enterprise base dividing into leading-edge AI businesses, businesses born with AI capability, businesses developing or integrating AI, and the majority not yet engaged in AI development.

Business base

Recognises that businesses face multiple considerations around technology, skills, funding and change when planning AI adoption. The State will provide support systems to guide businesses through an AI development journey tailored to their needs, progressing from awareness to implementation.

Connect & explore experiment implementation

Outlines the AI Development Ladder framework for supporting businesses through stages of awareness-building, connecting with expertise, experimenting with AI models, building capability and implementing solutions.

Awareness

Government will partner with industry through an Enterprise Digital Advisory Board to increase AI adoption among Irish businesses. Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland will support enterprises through funding and targeted programs, while Government will implement a structured adoption pathway ranging from awareness-building to practical implementation, targeting SMEs and small businesses nationwide.

Digital innovation

Ireland is establishing European Digital Innovation Hubs to support broad uptake of AI and other digital technologies by businesses and public sector organisations, offering advisory services on standards, data protection and regulatory compliance, plus access to technical expertise, research facilities and test beds. One hub will be designated as National First Stop for AI to provide guidance on AI adoption. CeADAR, funded by Enterprise Ireland, develops and licenses AI and data analytics technology demonstrators for business adoption across predictive analytics, machine and deep learning, real-time analytics, text analytics, natural language processing, data visualisation, blockchain, smart contracts, computer vision and image analytics, with over 65% of recent licences to Irish SMEs and 90 industry partners.

Financial supports for AI development and implementation

Enterprise Ireland provides funding for enterprises and research bodies working on AI projects through multiple schemes including innovation funds and commercialisation funds. The European Commission has allocated substantial funding through its Recovery and Resilience facility, with Ireland's national plan dedicating €85 million for driving business adoption of AI and digital technologies.

Development of a national AI cluster

Government will establish an AI cluster or platform bringing together multinational enterprises and small-to-medium enterprises to foster collaboration and technology sharing, supported by a €500 million Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund that finances AI development across sectors. Targeted funding supports will help businesses acquire and implement off-the-shelf AI solutions suited to their adoption stage.

Technology and infrastructure requirement for widespread AI adoption

Government will develop options for cloud-based access to AI technology that removes barriers to adoption by SMEs and larger businesses. A national platform combining data and AI infrastructure will be created to facilitate sector-wide access to data and technology, supporting AI deployment in sectors where Ireland has competitive advantages such as ICT, healthcare, agri-food, energy and creative industries.

Engagement by irish enterprises in EU collaboration for AI

Government will encourage Irish businesses to participate in European Commission-supported AI initiatives including Important Projects of Common European Interest, the AI4EU platform, and European Investment Bank funding opportunities for advancing AI investment and implementation.

Encouraging irish enterprise-led collaboration for AI

Government supports enterprise-led collaboration efforts such as the Ibec Artificial Intelligence Advisory Forum that promotes AI adoption coordination across sectors. Funding is available through regional development programmes and a multi-year fund supporting technology clustering initiatives among institutes of technology and technological universities.

Encouragement of cross-border enterprise collaboration on AI

Government provides funding through the Border Enterprise Development Fund to support competitive enterprises in the Border Region with projects involving AI, robotics, and machine learning. Cross-border bodies offer seed funding and support for collaborative initiatives leveraging AI and data-sharing to develop sectoral innovation ecosystems.

Engagement with ireland’s global technology diaspora on AI

Government will leverage AI to improve public service delivery, citizen interaction, analytical capabilities and efficiency, with the GovTech Delivery Board leading coordinated public service-wide implementation. The public service will establish common methodologies and collaboration channels, use procurement to drive ethical and innovative AI, and aim to become an exemplar of responsible AI innovation that builds public trust.

Data and digitalisation as a foundation for AI in the public service

AI adoption in public services depends on good quality, interoperable, and standardised data, which is supported by existing legislation (Data Sharing and Governance Act 2019 and Public Service Data Strategy 2019-2023), infrastructure, and cloud computing technologies. Government oversight structures including an ICT Advisory Board and Digital Leaders Group coordinate this work to ensure consistent and principled AI adoption across the public sector. Currently AI adoption across the public service lacks coordination, but a GovTech Delivery Board will provide strategic leadership to ensure a coherent approach to AI adoption by public organisations, including shared learning and common methodologies, as part of broader digital transformation and the Public Service Innovation Strategy.

strong security to underpin use of AI in the public service

Cybersecurity vigilance is essential for successful public sector adoption of AI and digital technologies. The GovTech Delivery Board will work with the National Cyber Security Centre to establish appropriate controls for secure AI development and deployment in government.

Ethical and compliance considerations

Public sector AI must be assessed for human rights and equality impacts, managed according to privacy and ethical frameworks, and include safeguards against discrimination and bias. Government will adopt EU AI Ethics Guidelines, develop principles for responsible AI governance, and ensure AI-based public services comply with accessibility requirements and universal design principles.

Building AI skills and capacity

The public service requires investment in training and upskilling programmes to develop the talent, expertise and awareness needed for successful AI adoption, including the ability to understand its benefits and risks.

Procurement framework for AI in the public service

Public procurement can drive innovation and demand for ethical AI technologies. The GovTech Delivery Board and Office of Government Procurement will develop mechanisms for public purchasing that catalyse trustworthy AI development, including dialogues, hackathons and pre-commercial procurement tools to help both suppliers and public authorities navigate AI technology acquisition.

Encouraging AI experimentation in the public service and wider ecosystem collaboration

Government will foster collaboration between public services and wider economy through structured mechanisms including innovation sprints, challenge funds and hackathons to develop AI solutions for societal problems. The GovTech Delivery Board will explore partnerships with private sector AI experts and academic researchers, exemplified by fellowship programs that embed researchers in government departments to work on data-driven projects.

Language technology resources for AI in the public sector

AI language systems such as natural language processing and speech recognition depend on training data that often lacks Irish language terms and expressions. Government will increase awareness of Irish language data and resources available in the public sector and cooperate on strategies to make public sector language resources available for developing language technology tools, particularly in areas like health, ICT and transport. The EU AI High Level Expert Group identifies e-Government, Justice and law enforcement, and Healthcare as areas of utmost importance for AI adoption to benefit society and sustainable growth, with the European Commission prioritising AI dialogue and data space development in healthcare, agriculture, and transport sectors.

Health sector

AI can improve healthcare delivery through applications like imaging analysis, clinical decision support and disease detection, while addressing budget constraints. Successful adoption requires addressing data availability and quality, privacy protections, skills gaps, and infrastructure development including electronic health records and data governance frameworks.

Justice sector

Automated decision-support tools can enhance fairness and consistency in judicial processes for areas such as case law analysis, compensation determination and dispute resolution. Law enforcement can use AI for evidence analysis and predictive policing, though human rights and ethical considerations must be paramount in all applications.

Agriculture sector

AI and robotics are priorities for sustainable agriculture, with AI-powered solutions supporting livestock production, crop harvesting, and resource efficiency while reducing fertiliser, pesticide, and water use, and the Area Monitoring System demonstrates how AI technologies using satellite data can modernise agricultural policy implementation and compliance monitoring. The GovTech Delivery Board will examine AI adoption in public services, including system safeguards, principles for trustworthy AI, talent development needs, and public procurement opportunities to support ethical AI innovation, while the public sector will be encouraged to develop an open environment for testing AI applications through hackathons and workshops. Ireland has made strategic investments in AI research and innovation over fifteen to twenty years, and government aims to strengthen this position by continuing to develop and foster a strong ecosystem that builds on existing strengths in AI innovation.

Integrating AI across r&i policies

Ireland's updated research and innovation strategy will establish AI as a priority area within information technology research and promote embedding AI within sectoral research strategies across the economy.

Supporting AI r&i activities

Public funding bodies including the Science Foundation Ireland support AI research through dedicated centres, training programmes, and strategic partnerships in areas such as agricultural technology and health and safety applications.

A supportive funding environment

Government funding for AI research emphasizes both foundational and applied work, with schemes like the Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund providing substantial resources, while European programmes including Horizon Europe and the Digital Europe Programme offer additional opportunities for research translation and SME uptake.

Connecting with international partners and promoting ireland as a centre for global talent in AI r&i

Ireland will build on existing strengths in AI research by expanding international partnerships through multistakeholder hubs, cooperation agreements with leading research institutions, and promotion of the country as a destination for global AI research talent and expertise.

Cross-border collaboration on AI r&i

Through the Shared Island Fund, Government is making 500 million euros available until 2025 to support North-South cooperation opportunities, including a potential all-island research hub and North-South research and innovation programme relevant to AI. Multiple programmes and networks support collaboration between researchers, enterprises and the public sector on AI innovation, including the Technology Gateway Network and Knowledge Transfer Ireland, which help businesses access state-funded research infrastructure and expertise.

A supportive piloting environment

Government will promote policies to accelerate the transition from AI research to deployment by supporting testbeds and regulatory sandboxes for rigorous, transparent testing; Ireland's existing testbed facilities in networks, manufacturing, and autonomous vehicles will be built upon, and relevant agencies will identify sectors of opportunity for new AI testbeds while exploring funding from the European Commission's Reference Testing and Experimentation Facilities programme. Government will map the AI research and innovation ecosystem, identify sectors of opportunity for establishing testbeds and experimentation facilities, and promote Irish participation in international AI research programmes and EU funding calls.

[dfheris, sfi/ dete]

Government agencies will explore mechanisms for all-island cooperation on AI research in key sectors through the Shared Island initiative and promote Ireland globally as a destination for AI talent and research excellence.

Dete/ dfa]

Ireland will prepare its workforce for AI-driven job disruption through education programmes, upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and promotion of gender diversity, with support from the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (reporting by end of 2021), Digital Strategy for Schools, STEM Education Policy Statement, School Excellence Funds for Digital and STEM (approximately 1 million euros to school clusters), higher education AI programmes including master's degrees and certificates, National Skills Strategy, Technology Skills Action Plan, Human Capital Initiative, SOLAS and Skillnet Ireland services, and Science Foundation Ireland's Centres for Research Training programme (104 million euro investment spanning eleven institutions and over 90 business partners, with 46% of students being women). Ireland will attract international AI talent by leveraging its technology hub reputation and advance women's participation in AI through existing schemes like Women ReBOOT and industry-led initiatives, while currently women comprise 21% of ICT students in Ireland (above the EU average) and three-quarters of AI and data science workers globally are men. Ireland will develop secure, high-performance digital infrastructure with strong data protection and cybersecurity, establish trustworthy data governance frameworks ensuring data quality and privacy-protective access, and jointly fund the EMPOWER initiative through Science Foundation Ireland to establish standards for responsible data management outside the public sector.

Data governance

A Data Governance Board established under the Data Sharing and Governance Act will oversee data sharing and governance across the public service, with capacity to advise on ethical data use in AI and compliance with the incoming Data Governance Act. The table identifies research areas spanning decentralised data platforms, regulatory compliance, privacy, governance standards and ethics frameworks.

Data protection, ethics and privacy in the context of AI

Strong data protection frameworks build public trust in AI while safeguarding privacy and fundamental rights. The GDPR provides risk-based rules applicable to AI systems, including individuals' rights to human review of automated decisions, though technical limitations and system opacity create implementation challenges. Data protection by design and by default must be embedded into AI projects, ensuring privacy is integrated early and only necessary data is collected with default user-friendly settings.

Data governance for AI, the business opportunity

Describes how Ireland's existing ecosystem of data protection and privacy-enhancing technologies provides potential for industry-academic collaboration to develop new data governance services. Lists opportunities including impact assessments, testing for bias in datasets, evaluating dataset value and risks, creating transparent governance processes, and training on trustworthiness AI issues.

Access to quality data for AI

AI systems depend entirely on quality data, and lack of access is a barrier to AI adoption particularly for SMEs. Government will increase availability of public sector data through safe, transparent means for research and innovation, and will establish trusted environments that enable organisations to access and share data collaboratively.

Access to open government data for AI

Highlights Ireland's leadership in Open Government Data programmes and its national Open Data Strategy objectives of publishing high-value datasets in open formats and engaging stakeholders. Indicates Government will establish an Open Data Challenge Fund for AI and ensure open data infrastructure is designed with AI compatibility in mind.

Data sharing

Ireland will investigate models like data trusts, cooperatives and contracts to enable equitable data sharing across business and commercial sectors. Such frameworks must balance fair access rules with privacy protections, security, intellectual property considerations and other safeguards to ensure data flows responsibly between organisations.

European data spaces

Summarises European Commission proposals to establish domain-specific common European data spaces across industries such as manufacturing, health, finance and agriculture. Notes these spaces will combine large data pools with technical tools, infrastructures and governance mechanisms to facilitate data access and exchange for AI.

Data for AI in the public sector

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