931. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation whether the Government has conducted an assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with artificial intelligence across the public service; the measures being taken to mitigate potential threats arising from the technology; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59069/26]

My Department has taken a proactive and coordinated approach to supporting the responsible and effective adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the Public Service. A key component of this was the publication of the ‘Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service’ in May 2025, which provide a practical framework to assist Public Service Bodies in designing, developing and deploying AI in a manner that is ethical, transparent and aligned with public service values. Responsibility for applying the Guidelines rests with each Public Service Body, to embed them within governance arrangements pertaining to relevant work programmes.

The Guidelines are structured around seven core principles. These are (1) human agency and oversight, (2) technical robustness and safety, (3) privacy and data governance, (4) transparency, (5) diversity, non-discrimination and fairness, (6) societal and environmental well-being, and (7) accountability. These core principles are aligned with the European Commission’s High Level Expert Group’s principles for Trustworthy AI, and maintain a focus on ensuring use of AI is undertaken in an ethical manner. These are supported by a decision framework, an AI lifecycle model, and a practical Responsible AI Canvas tool. Together, these elements help Public Service Bodies to assess the appropriateness of AI use cases, manage risks, and embed good governance throughout the AI project lifecycle.

There has been a high level of interest in the Guidelines, with online resources provided on the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation's website having been accessed 25,000 times since launch, with over 6,500 downloads of the Guideline document itself. A training course is also offered to help public service bodies understand and implement the guidelines in a practical and effective way, and approximately 6,000 people having participated in this training to date.

The Guidelines were developed in line with the EU AI Act’s risk-based approach. The EU AI Act provides the overarching binding legal framework for the development and deployment of AI systems in the EU. The Act prohibits certain unacceptable-risk AI practices, and imposes obligations in respect of high-risk AI systems, transparency, governance and AI literacy.

My department is currently undertaking a survey of public service bodies to obtain the most up to date data on AI adoption across the public service, catalogue sectoral use-cases to support cross Government information-sharing, learning, and strategic and operational oversight. The survey also has questions concerning challenges and concerns relating to AI use, and we hope to provide a report on the findings in the coming months which will outline trends and insights relating to AI adoption in the public service. This will inform future policies and initiatives to ensure the Government continues to promote the use of AI in a responsible and ethical way that mitigates against any potential risks.