Enabling AI regulation
The National AI Office will require the necessary independence, resources, and technical experts to function properly and the EU AI Act should be used as a “minimum baseline” for AI regulation, finds the first interim report of the Joint Committee on AI, published in December 2025.
The committee recommends that the National AI Office, which is expected to be functioning by August 2026, should have necessary levels of independence, resources, and technical experts. This is to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest between the State’s implementation, use, and design of AI, along with its support for other AI regulators.
Minister of State for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation Niamh Smyth TD has previously stated that the National AI Office will act as a “focal point for responsible AI in Ireland”.
The office, once set up, is to be based in the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. It is to be Ireland’s point of contact for implementation of the EU AI Act under Article 70. The Act asks all EU members to establish one site to manage the oversight and implementation of AI regulations.
The committee further recommends the AI Advisory Council, which currently operates on a voluntary basis, be made permanent. It also recommends providing the council with funding and request it be broadly representative of society.
The committee also says that Ireland must not “shy away” from the EU AI Act or try to dilute it, saying the act should be a “minimum baseline” for AI regulation. The main goal is, using a risk-based system, to establish legal frameworks which protects fundamental rights and technological development.
Awareness campaigns on the dangers of scammers and bad actors, and digital literacy are to be carried out across school and community groups under the recommendations. The committee also calls for audits on AI enabled platforms to ensure compliance with regulations.
Cathaoirleach of the committee Malcolm Byrne TD says: “The committee is working in a collaborative way to consider the potential benefits and risks associated with it and to explore how Ireland can lead in this space. We do not believe that regulation and innovation are mutually exclusive, and we are looking to strike the right balance.”
