Artificial Intelligence
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-12
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James Lawless (FF), Kildare North

I thank an Teachta Moynihan. The pace and scale at which AI and technology in general is changing, adapting and transforming continues to astound us all, so it is all the more important that we try to stay ahead of it and that we drive our national AI skills agenda forward. It is one thing I am very conscious of right across education, research and innovation. As a productivity tool, so many businesses and users are adopting AI now in different ways. In my view, it is positive when properly harnessed and it is welcome. I do not think the worst-case fears are founded, nor do I think the wildest exaggerations of its abilities will be borne out. It is a bit like the Microsoft Excel programme, Google search or, indeed, a smartphone when they came along. We have advances in technology that we can reap benefits from, but ultimately we will move on to a different paradigm.
Among the goals of strengthening literacy for all users, I recently launched aiready.ie as an AI skills platform. It is developed by SOLAS in partnership with my Department. That was based on the advice of the national skills council, which had identified that AI literacy was a fundamental competency and that we had strong skills in the expert-user area but were not as pervasive across the ordinary user or person who wishes to use it for their accounts, for productivity gains or even for planning a personal event to build a foundational awareness. That is an essential element.
I am also launching a new range of courses, free or heavily subsidised through the Springboard+ programme, which will bring a number of microcredential courses and other courses to learners. They can be in employment, they can be independent but those courses will be offered at a heavily subsidised rate, with over 7,200 places being delivered by 36 providers nationwide. Between aiready.ie , Springboard+ courses and a number of microqualifications being delivered through the ETBs we now have quite a wide array of courses and training providers in the AI space.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-12/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-27T06:54:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-12