Artificial Intelligence
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-27
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Charlie McConalogue (FF), Donegal

I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for raising this very important issue. I recognise his strong work on it and on developing a national AI workplace transition programme and leading out on it in the context of meeting with employers, unions and the relevant Ministers. The Deputy's work within the political system has been pioneering in relation to this matter. It is appropriate that we are discussing it here in the Dáil this morning. This is something that will have to take up much more Government and Oireachtas time in the period ahead in the context of ensuring that we respond to this challenge and that we are at the forefront when it comes to making sure it is used positively and to the benefit of the public. We must also ensure that our policies reflect an approach that harnesses AI in this way.
As the Deputy will know, in the first instance, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is the appropriate lead for issues of skilling, reskilling and upskilling of the workforce to navigate the impacts of potential job displacement due to the adoption of Al technologies. I am taking this matter on his behalf this morning,. I know the Deputy has been liaising closely with him and his officials on this issue and on his policy proposal.
The digitalisation of the economy and society and the adoption of AI are among the largest structural forces shaping our country. The Government is committed to driving our digital agenda and to Ireland remaining a digital leader at the heart of Europe and globally. Accordingly, Digital Ireland was published on 18 February. The latter is the national digital and Al strategy. It sets an ambition for Ireland to be a global hub for applied Al innovation. It also renews the Government's commitments to inclusion and accessibility to ensure that no one is left behind in this digital and Al revolution.
Research published by the Departments of Finance and Enterprise, Tourism and Employment shows that Ireland is relatively more exposed than other advanced economies. In line with this finding, Digital Ireland seeks to support workers to navigate and mitigate the impacts of potential job displacement, including through agile, responsive and accessible skills supports. The Government recently held its first national skills round table, marking the beginning of a national programme of high-level engagements focused on ensuring Ireland has the right skills for a rapidly changing economy. This will include a series of sector-specific meetings with employers and industry representative bodies to gain deeper insight into priority skills needs.
Officials within the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are currently developing a statement of ambition, which will focus on digital skills including Al skills, and a roadmap for technology skills for the future, which will be the successor to Technology Skills 2022. The Department is also developing a national skills observatory. It is intended to have the observatory in place by year end. The observatory will have several functions, including monitoring labour market trends and emerging skills needs, which will support Ireland's responsiveness to education and training systems.
Regarding recent developments, last month saw the launch of the AI Ready platform. The latter will support early inclusive skills development, an approach strongly reinforced by ESRI and Central Bank research on Al, skills and labour market disruption. SOLAS and the educational training boards, ETBs, have developed short flexible courses, including micro-qualifications focused on Al awareness, applied skills and career transition opportunities.
Higher education institutions continue to deliver a wide range of specialist and foundational digital skills programmes, including micro-credentials, through initiatives such as Springboard+. These are complemented by the work of Skillnet Ireland, which continues to deliver enterprise-led upskilling opportunities that are aligned with industry needs.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-27/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-27