2296. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the usage of artificial intelligence within his Department; the categories of usage; the usage of artificial intelligence within any bodies under the aegis of his Department; the categories of usage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57229/26]

2409. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to provide an overview of the AI policy in place within his Department; if AI has been incorporated into any work streams; if AI is ever used in reply to parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58665/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2296 and 2409 together.

I can confirm that there are artificial intelligence (AI) tools currently in use within my Department, primarily in the area of immigration services.

My Department’s Immigration Service Delivery operates a Digital Contact Centre, which includes an AI enabled smart assistant and chatbot powered by Microsoft Copilot. This system assists users in navigating publicly available immigration information, checking application status, and submitting queries. The chatbot is trained exclusively on information published on the Immigration Service Delivery website, operates within a secure authenticated portal, and does not process or make decisions based on personal data. More complex issues can be referred to staff at any stage. In addition, the Department uses ID Pal, which employs machine learning based identity verification to authenticate applicants’ identity documents when establishing a customer account within the same service portal.

My Department complies with the Guidelines for the Responsible Use of AI in the Public Service issued by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, as well as guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre. My Department is fully committed to transparency, including informing users whenever they are interacting with an AI system and has put in place appropriate governance, risk assessment and oversight structures to support the responsible use of these technologies.

My Department does not currently use generative artificial intelligence tools for issuing responses to parliamentary questions.

My Department will continue to assess emerging digital tools, including AI, but any future adoption will remain subject to appropriate governance processes, including risk assessment and human oversight.

With regards to the use of AI tools in agencies under the aegis of my Department, I am informed of the following.

The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland uses AI in its regulatory function, where it is integrated into case management and provides case summary features to trained GRAI staff in specific case categories. The GRAI leverage advanced AI and ML techniques in their security operations, where AI enabled tooling is deployed to support – real time security monitoring of internet facing systems. The GRAI have published a dedicated AI Usage Guideline, which is a practical, advisory guideline that tells GRAI staff how the organisation’s existing security and data protection rules apply when using approved AI tools.

The Legal Aid Board is at an early stage in its engagement with AI tools. Current use is limited to low risk, internal support functions and is governed by the Board’s Artificial Intelligence Policy Framework. No AI tools are used in decision making, eligibility assessments, or the provision of legal advice or representation. All access to justice decisions remains the responsibility of appropriately qualified staff. The Parole Board use a Case Management System which has limited use of AI integrated into it. I am informed only the Operations Team have access to it.

The Judicial Council and Policing and Community Safety Authority have access to Microsoft Co-pilot, which is utilised as a general-purpose AI tool to assist with non-automated administrative tasks under human oversight. This is part of a suite of Microsoft 365 products available alongside other MS software and tools.

The Data Protection Commission is conducting a pilot project to explore the use of AI. This project is limited to a small set of users using only publicly available/non-sensitive data.

While no AI tools are currently in use in An Garda Síochána, I am informed that work is underway to develop a strategy for the deployment of AI within the organisation and to establish robust governance structures in relation to the use of such emerging technologies.

It has not been possible for Fiosrú or the Courts Service to gather the necessary information in the given timeframe. I will write to the Deputy directly upon receipt of the information.