Kildare politician appointed Chairperson of Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence
The representative succeeds Malcolm Byrne TD, who resigned from the role last week
A politician from County Kildare has been appointed the Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North, Naoise Ó Cearúil, has been appointed to the role by An Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who is also the leader of his party.
The Maynooth-based representative will replace his party colleague, Deputy Malcolm Byrne, in the role, following the Deputy’s resignation last week.
This development arose following Deputy Byrne’s arrest on suspicion of drink-driving just under two weeks ago.
The change also comes after Deputy Ó Cearúil was appointed as the Chairperson of the Oireachtas Committee on the Irish Language last month.
A spokesperson for his party clarified that while Deputy Ó Cearúil will no longer serve as Chair, he will remain a member of the committee, and added that he intends to ‘continue advancing a number of initiatives related to Irish-medium education and the promotion of the Irish language’.
EXPERIENCE
According to the spokesperson, Deputy Ó Cearúil has nearly a decade of experience in the technology sector, ‘including several years working directly in the AI industry before entering politics’.
They also pointed out that the Deputy recently published proposals for a National AI Workplace Transition Programme, which aim to help workers adapt to technological change.
Speaking following his appointment, Deputy Ó Cearúil said: “AI is already changing how we work, learn, communicate and do business.
“The opportunities are enormous, but so too are the challenges; the job of policymakers is to ensure we maximise the benefits of this technology while preparing properly for the disruption it will bring.
“There are important discussions to be had around jobs, education, public services and competitiveness.”
AI ADVANCEMENT
He continued: “There are also wider questions around energy demand, environmental sustainability, digital sovereignty, data governance and how democratic societies respond to technologies that are advancing at an unprecedented pace.”
“Ireland will have an opportunity to play a meaningful role in shaping the European conversation around artificial intelligence; we should approach that challenge with ambition.”
The Deputy added: “Europe needs to be a place where innovation can thrive, but it must also be a place where people have confidence that these technologies are being deployed responsibly.”
He also asserted that he intends to engage widely with industry leaders, academics, workers’ representatives, civil society organisations and international experts as part of the committee’s work.
Deputy Ó Cearúil concluded: “This technology will touch every sector of society; the decisions we make over the next number of years will help shape Ireland’s economy, labour market and public services for decades to come, and it is important that we get those decisions right.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme