2026-06-16

144. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment the way in which his Department is supporting businesses to adopt artificial intelligence into their day-to-day work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45350/26]

Artificial intelligence, AI, is one of the biggest economic opportunities facing Ireland over the next decade. It has the potential to transform productivity, innovation and competitiveness across every sector. What is the Government doing to position Ireland as a leader in AI adoption and development?

The Government recognises that the adoption of AI and digital technologies presents a significant opportunity for Irish businesses to enhance productivity, competitiveness and innovation across all sectors of the economy. The recently published national digital and AI strategy, Digital Ireland - Connecting our People, Securing our Future, sets out a clear roadmap for Ireland’s digital and AI adoption and development in the years ahead. One of the key priorities in the strategy is fast-tracking enterprise technology adoption, particularly in SMEs, to boost productivity and competitiveness. Under the AI - Good for Business initiative, a national AI and digital awareness roadshow has been established in tandem with local enterprise office, LEO, regions. The roadshow, which is already under way, helps SMEs to understand the practical benefits of AI and digital tools, showcases real SME success stories, and highlights the LEO supports available. Having participated in one of these roadshows in Galway in April, it is very encouraging to see the high levels of interest and uptake of AI by SMEs. These supports include the Grow Digital voucher, which offers up to €5,000 to small businesses with under 50 employees to adopt digital tools like ecommerce, AI, cybersecurity, and website development. The digital for business consultancy scheme is a free service which connects businesses with expert advisers to assess needs and develop tailored plans. The European digital innovation hubs, EDIHs, in Dublin, Cork, Mullingar and Sligo offer hands-on support to help SMEs to understand, test and adopt advanced technologies. My Department recently allocated an additional €23 million in funding for these EDIHs to support SMEs in their uptake of AI and other cutting-edge technologies. We are building on existing supports and developing a targeted sectoral strategy to develop and drive AI adoption. Enterprise Ireland will also appoint an AI sector champion to spotlight AI opportunities, and the charter for digital inclusion will also encourage larger businesses to support smaller ones in adopting digital tools.

I am firmly of the opinion that the countries that adopt AI responsibly will yield the greatest benefits over the next generation. We can be economic leaders through AI and we can show what a society is capable of. A part of where this conversation has to be is about the societal benefits that can come from AI-gained efficiencies. With those efficiencies, however, come a lot of concerns. We have to address the challenges that there will be around job displacement and workforce skills and ensure that people can upskill, develop and wield the power that AI will give them as individuals. How is the Government going to ensure that Ireland will not simply be depending on other countries' AI but that we have some sort of AI independence? The Minister of State will have seen over the weekend that access to Fable and Mythos outside the US was shut down. How would we respond if we were dependent on AI services and they got shut down?

I thank the Deputy very much for his questions. I feel that one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption is not the reluctance to adopt the technology but is around awareness and understanding. This is why it is important that we get businesses engaged early in respect of how it can enhance their effectiveness, efficiencies and productivity. That is why we have the Grow Digital voucher, ensuring that experts can create digital plans and allow the technology to be embedded in a system. We are working on the AI observatory to make Ireland an international hub for AI adoption. That is very much part of the whole AI plan, and we really want to see SMEs as a success story in respect of the adoption of AI.

I would say that we need to be careful. I welcome the Grow Digital vouchers, but this would lead to businesses depending on those vouchers to get the expertise and skills to be talented with AI. The whole idea of AI is that it is going to be usable by anybody for anybody with their own critical thinking and their own ability. It is going to be about allowing people to gain the skillsets and the critical thinking capacity to use AI. I would be careful not to fund so many vouchers that people become dependent on them. Another point is that the benefits of AI need to be felt and spread right across the country. From the point of view of the Government particularly, and this is something I have called for before, an AI hub for the west of Ireland is needed. We have an incredible medical technology and medical device sector in Galway. The Minister of State knows the huge investment Dexcom has made in Athenry. I would love to see a med tech AI hub in Galway that works with these companies to deliver next-generation technologies that can impact the globe.

I would certainly like to see more investment and I support the call made by the Deputy for having more centres of excellence in the west of Ireland around AI adoption. It is part of the Government’s policy for balanced regional development. I know the project in Dexcom, in the Deputy's area, is significant and needs to be supported. The new AI office will ensure that innovation is very much balanced and that safeguards are put in place. We are very much focused on the digital skills and talent area. We have one of the highest graduate levels in science, technology, engineering and maths, STEM, and we need to capitalise on this in respect of how AI is adopted. I take the Deputy's point that early planning is very important for businesses, and that is why we need advice from experts to develop the associated skill set but also the plan for how to adopt the technology, having regard to how important it will be for businesses.