Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026: Second Stage Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-01 ============================================================ Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I welcome the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026 and commend the Minister of State on bringing this important legislation before the House. As she mentioned, this legislation is important and necessary to ensure that Ireland meets its obligations in overseeing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence systems. The Bill is a national implementation measure that will establish the AI office; provide market surveillance authorities, MSAs, with powers to supervise, investigate and enforce compliance; introduce a general administrative sanctions framework; and enable certain regulators, including the Central Bank and the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, to use existing sanctions regimes. These measures will ensure that Ireland has the necessary supervisory and enforcement structures in place to fulfil its obligations applying from 2 August and those under future phases of the EU AI Act. The Bill provides the enforcement and institutional infrastructure - the office, the competent authorities, the adjudication system and the criminal penalties - through which the EU AI Act will operate in Ireland. It does not create the obligations that apply to providers and deployers of AI systems. Those obligations are already in Irish law by virtue of the EU AI Act, which is directly applicable. The Bill's enactment is necessary to designate the authorities which will enforce those existing obligations. The Minister, Deputy Burke, stated the publication of the Bill is a landmark moment for Ireland's digital regulatory framework. The Bill establishes the AI offices of Ireland as a strong, independent institution at the centre of AI regulatory system and empowers our competent authorities with investigative and sanctions tools they need. The office is intended to be Ireland's central co-ordinating authority for implementation of the AI Act. Artificial intelligence is already changing how we live, work and access public services. It has enormous potential to improve healthcare through earlier diagnosis, support businesses to become more productive, assist farmers with precision agriculture, reduce administrative burdens and create high-quality jobs in Ireland's growing technology sector. The Bill provides the certainty businesses and citizens need. It establishes a clear regulatory framework, ensures compliance with the EU AI Act, creates appropriate oversight and enforcement mechanisms and helps build public trust that AI will be developed and used safely, ethically and transparently. That confidence is essential if Ireland is to remain a global leader in innovation while protecting fundamental rights. As we embrace these opportunities there is one area the legislation could go further on. Maybe that is in phase 2 and could be looked at in the summer. It is protection of children. Discussing this legislation as part of our work on the Joint Committee on Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, the vulnerability and protection of children came up a lot. The Irish Internet Hotline said that while the Bill focuses on full implementation and enforcement of the EU AI Act, including the designation and empowerment of national competent authorities and the establishment of penalties for infringements, its implementation represents a decisive moment to introduce safeguards for children's rights and protection from harmful artificial intelligence. The Children's Rights Alliance also came before the committee and commented that the scheme "is silent about the participation of children and young people in decision development and decision-making. Children and their voice should be considered at all levels of decision development and decision-making, including by any regulatory sandboxes and the board of the AI office." They are really looking for children to have an input into it. Young people are among the most frequent users of AI-powered technologies yet they are also the most vulnerable. As a mam of ten- and 11-year-old girls, I really worry. AI increasingly influences the content they consume, the information they receive, the educational tools they use and the decisions that shape their online experiences. I would welcome stronger provisions placing children's rights at the heart of AI regulation, including child impact assessments for AI systems that are likely to affect children, stronger protection for children's personal data and greater investment in digital and AI literacy for children, parents and teachers, maybe to work alongside this. If we get this right, Ireland can lead in the development of artificial intelligence and in ensuring it is developed responsibly, ethically and with the protection of future generations at its core. Innovation and protection should go hand in hand. This Bill provides an excellent foundation on which to build. As we take up the EU Presidency, which was a proud moment for us all today in Dublin Castle, I welcome this Bill and our work to protect people, including the most vulnerable, when it comes to online safety. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-01/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:08+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-07-01