Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-09
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Alice-Mary Higgins (IND), National University of Ireland

I am glad that the Minister of State will engage because, with respect, this cannot be left to that Minister. She is the Minister of State with responsibility for this. This is the AI Act. That definition should be included and made explicit in this legislation. If it is not in this national legislation, it shall be interpreted as matching the EU definition except for where there is another context, then we have the diluted idea about if the context has been that the Minister for justice does not want to.
We will come to other issues relating to public confidence later, but for public confidence in the regulation of AI, it is vital that Government Departments do not appear to be taking an à la carte approach to it. Under the definition, names are not biometric data. Inserting names as a filter to narrow the application of the biometric identification piece is a significant step that is directly at odds with the EU AI Act. It cannot be left like that. I would, with absolute respect, suggest that a path needs to be made for inserting a correct definition, ideally including the word "notwithstanding". The definition that was inserted into the recording devices Act must be amended because it is inaccurate and directly flouts the AI Act before we even begin monitoring and supervision.
I thank the Minister of State for her engagement. I cannot emphasise enough that this is not a matter that should be left to discretion. She is the Minister of State in this area, and if this law is to be the foundational law in respect of how this is implemented and enacted in Ireland, it needs solidity from the beginning and cannot have a contradiction at its starting point.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:55:11+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-09