While the rapidly evolving AI landscape has created many global opportunities, it has also raised ethical concerns around issues such as bias and privacy. Consequently, Ireland modified its strategy in late 2024 to take account of the rapid developments in the technology and regulatory frameworks, including the implementation of the EU AI Act, while doubling down on its commitment to AI ethics as a cornerstone of innovation and public trust.
AI adoption surges in Ireland
Driven by a thriving tech ecosystem, a skilled workforce and robust government support, AI adoption in Ireland has surged to 91%, according to new research from Trinity Business School. That’s nearly double the 49% reported in 2024, and AI is projected to add at least €250 billion to the Irish economy by 2035.Ireland ranks sixth globally in terms of AI vibrancy per capita according to a 2024 report by Stanford University’s Institute for Human-Centred Artificial Intelligence.
Read our deep dive into AI in Ireland to understand why Ireland’s AI expertise stands out among developed nations.
AI ethics embedded in Ireland’s national strategy
Building on the foundational 2021 strategy titled ‘AI-Here for Good’, the refreshed national AI strategy places emphasis on trustworthy and ethical approach to AI development, adoption and usage. Divided into seven strategic strands, the strategy outlines a comprehensive governmental approach to establishing the key enablers for AI adoption across enterprise and public services.
The focus on ethical and trustworthy AI is most pronounced in the following strands:
AI and Society: This strand stresses on building public trust in AI through public engagement campaigns, AI literacy initiatives and AI Ambassadors. A key action was appointing Dr Patricia Scanlon as AI Ambassador and the subsequent establishment of the AI Advisory Council formed to provide independent, expert advice to government on AI policy.
Governance for Trustworthy AI: The implementation of the EU AI Act remains central under this strand, along with the development of national standards.
This risk-based regulation puts in place guardrails for the development and deployment of trustworthy, human-centred AI in the European Union. It classifies AI systems into four different risk levels: unacceptable, high, limited and minimal risk. While most AI systems pose minimal risk under the EU AI Act, the Act focuses on high-risk applications that could significantly impact individuals’ rights or safety.
For example, the use of AI in recruitment or for determining access to essential services like credit or health insurance.
It prohibits use of AI that carry unacceptable risk such as criminal profiling and social scoring.
Hence, the Act provides regulatory clarity for businesses looking to develop or invest in AI solutions.
AI Serving the Public: This strand calls for ethical deployment of AI in public services, with strong focus on fairness, accountability and human oversight.
The government has committed to ensuring that all AI tools used in public services comply with the seven key principles for ethical and trustworthy AI, originally developed by the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group on AI. These principles cover human oversight, technical safety, privacy, transparency, diversity and fairness, societal well-being, and accountability – all core pillars of AI ethics within Ireland’s AI strategy.
New AI guidelines for Irish Public Services
Aligning with these principles, the Irish government in May 2025 rolled out guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of AI to empower public servants in the delivery of services. These guidelines places human in the process and are designed to enhance public trust in how government uses AI.
The framework advises against the use of free generative AI models, such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.
“Free GenAI tools are very accessible but because they lack suitable management and oversight pose significant risks for use in the Irish Public Sector. Any information given to a public GenAI tool could be used in training the model,” the guidelines state.
The guidelines call upon public servants to disclose when content is generated by an AI system, particularly in communications, content generations or interactions with the public. They also emphasise the importance of human judgement and call for human oversight of AI-generated content, especially in sensitive areas.
While launching the guidelines, Minister Jack Chambers remarked: “AI offers immense possibilities to improve the provision of public services. These guidelines support public service bodies in undertaking responsible innovation in a way that is practical, helpful and easy to follow.”
Echoing similar views, Emer Higgins, Minister of State for Public Procurement and Digitalisation, pointed out that the guidelines will be implemented with “strong ethical and human oversight, ensuring fairness, transparency, accountability, and the protection of rights and personal data at every step.”
Examples of AI in Irish public services
Some prominent examples of AI use in public services include St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, where staff are exploring the potential for AI to assist with performing heart ultrasound scans to help reduce waiting times for patients.The Revenue Commissioners are using large language models to route taxpayer queries more efficiently.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is developing an AI-supported solution to detect errors in grant applications and reduce processing times.
Ireland’s role in the EU AI ethics ecosystem
As an EU member state, Ireland aligns closely with the EU AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for artificial intelligence, by actively participating in the EU AI Board and its working groups.Ireland also plays a key role in international AI standardisation. The National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) contributes to the work of the ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1 Sub-Committee on AI.
NSAI experts also contribute to EU AI standardisation through the work of CEN-CENELEC.
Ireland has designated eight public bodies as competent authorities responsible for enforcing the EU AI Act, within their respective sectors. These authorities are the Central Bank of Ireland, the Commission for Communications Regulation, the Commission for Railway Regulation, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Data Protection Commission, the Health and Safety Authority, the Health Products Regulatory Authority and the Marine Survey Office of the Department of Transport.
With its thriving tech ecosystem and ethical governance model, Ireland is an attractive location for ethical AI startups and research hubs.