Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages
Seanad Éireann — 2026-07-15
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Niamh Smyth (FF), Cavan-Monaghan

I thank the Senator. I feel, as I am sure everyone in the room feels, the Senator's passion about this. I am of the same mindset and I know we have a real opportunity here. Unfortunately, I cannot accept the amendment because I have a deadline. I know the Senator will say deadlines are not good enough but I am concerned about the prohibitive practices piece and how AI is impacting all of society. I am equally concerned that the fundamental rights of people trump everything here. While I cannot accept the amendment, I will give the Senator a commitment that, following this, even over the summer duration or into the autumn when we are coming back to this, my door is always open. I am happy to sit down with the Senator and my very smart, bright and intelligent officials here to see what more we can do to copperfasten and give her and the public absolute confidence. The Senator is absolutely right. Our 27 member states need to be able to look to Ireland and see that these companies have reached the benchmark for empowering people and are not infringing their fundamental rights. While I agree with the Senator and on this occasion I cannot accept her amendment, my door will always be open.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:52:16+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-15