2026-01-15

I will begin by thanking colleagues around the House for their understanding that I could not be here at the very beginning of the debate. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, for taking the reins. I thank colleagues who made contributions here today, which were all very heartfelt. This week has shown how we can react and respond. It is not just about reacting. I will take up a couple of the points that were made here today in a more nuanced way. We have three laws in place in this country that I believe are very robust. We have Coco's Law, the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act and the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act. These laws provide that this activity is not allowed to continue. These laws make very clear that, in this country, it is illegal to create, possess, disseminate or share these images. Those of us in this Government, in this House and in the Upper House could not be in any clearer that these are the rules here in Ireland. I appeal to any companies listening to this debate to obey these laws and to abide by them. Our law enforcement body, An Garda Síochána, came before the committee yesterday in the committee rooms here in Leinster House and it was made very clear that we have these robust laws in place. I appeal to An Garda Síochána to enforce them. I have to be reasonable and measured in my contribution and say that I know enforcement takes a little bit of time. If a provision to shut down X was available to me when it became apparent to me that this vile poison was available so freely online, I would have liked to have the opportunity to ban it. I am very serious and earnest when I say, as Minister of State with responsibility for AI, that any user or creator who continues to perpetrate this type of abuse against our citizens, whether male or female and including children, will be stopped and held criminally liable because it is a criminal offence to do what we have seen over the last week. I know it has been going on for a little bit longer than a week but it became very apparent to me in the last week. I have reacted and responded as quickly as I possibly could. I have met with Coimisiún na Meán and with the Taoiseach and I am meeting with the Attorney General this afternoon to be absolutely clear in my mind that all of the necessary provisions are in law. If they are not, I will bring legislation in here as quickly as I possibly can. Looking around this Chamber, I know I will have support in doing that. I thank the Chair of the Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Deputy Malcolm Byrne, who is here. I thank him and his committee for their first interim report and the associated recommendations, which I take very seriously. I also thank Deputy Alan Dillon in his absence for the work he is doing. I encourage all of the tech companies who have been invited in on 4 February to come before that committee. Its members are our legislators and do the pre-legislative scrutiny that informs me and the Government. It is critically important that those companies present themselves before our legislators on 4 February. If the Ceann Comhairle will allow me, I will also take a moment to thank our Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, led by Dr. Patricia Scanlon. It has done incredible work. The members are experts in lots of different areas within AI. They worked very quickly to provide me with a concrete document that has given me a deeper insight and advised me about the existing legislation, giving me the confidence that sufficient legislation is in place. It is about enforcement. I appeal to anyone listening in to make reports to Coimisiún na Meán, An Garda Síochána and the hotline. There are mechanisms available to report. There are also supports for victims who have had their images used, distorted, shared and disseminated. There are supports in place and I encourage victims to use them. I thank the council for the four recommendations it gave to me and the Department. I thank my officials. I may be the face but a team of people have worked night and day over the last week since this issue became apparent to address it in the quickest way possible to protect our citizens, man, woman and child. Our goal is to protect our citizens and we will continue in that vein over the next number of days. I assure Members that I am also meeting with X. That meeting is happening tomorrow. I will relay all of the views that have been made very clear to me today. I will also relay that what has happened over the last week is illegal and that X will face the full rigours of the law here in Ireland. There are a number of things I want to highlight because not all of the conversation today was about that issue. Really important issues were raised here today. Deputy Gibney raised the issue of skills. She has been very vocal on that issue. The Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Deputy Ó Cearúil also raised the issue. I assure them all that I am working very closely with the Minister, Deputy Lawless, to ensure that observatory is created very quickly as well as the AI office. The transposition of the EU AI Act will be done as quickly as I possibly can. I assure Members that the AI office is established, not in its fullest sense, but it is established. There are resources behind it and a location for it. It will be at arm's length from the Department and will be able to work independently of any of us. That gives me good confidence as well. I will point to a few of the other measures within the Department that address education, skills and regulation, which has been to the forefront of all of our minds over the last week. Digital and AI technology is transforming every aspect of our lives, for good and for evil, it has to be said. What we have seen over the last couple of days is evil. Not everyone has equal access to the benefits of these technologies. In 2025, I introduced a charter for digital inclusion as a landmark step in Ireland's mission to create a more inclusive digital society. The initiative emphasises the importance of partnership, particularly the role of larger businesses, to support SMEs to adopt and benefit from digital technologies. I know Deputy Gibney feels very passionately about this. I do acknowledge and am looking at how we can mitigate job losses that will happen. It is inevitable. I do not deny that for one second. The charter reflects the UN's principles of leaving no one behind, as outlined in Digital for Good: Ireland's Digital Inclusion Roadmap. This sets out commitments for businesses and organisations to help close the digital divide by promoting digital skills, affordability, raising awareness and enabling access to online resources. I assure Members that I work closely within the Department and that my colleagues here have a number of forums within the Department that give us direct access to people who are at the coalface. We are constantly engaging with small, medium and large businesses to provide financial support and also to hear from them, where and how they are struggling and how we can support them. We will do everything we can to do that. Artificial intelligence is a disruptive technology. I am acutely aware of the concerns raised regarding the impact of AI on the labour market. The impact of AI and the future of work is still unfolding. The expert group on future skills needs report on AI and the Irish labour market shows that Ireland is relatively more exposed to AI-related disruption than other advanced economies, with higher exposure among those who have higher educational attainment. It also indicates that female and younger workers are more likely to be in the roles that could be affected. The research also found that Ireland's enterprise sector and workforce are adapting rapidly to AI, with strong demand for AI skills matched with solid supply. However, as the report rightly notes, the Government must continue to monitor and address any risks AI poses to our workforce. That would be the role of the observatory. Doing that with the Minister, Deputy James Lawless, who is all about further education and the skills base, means we have the right combination to make it work well. My Department, with the ESRI and the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, is undertaking research on the potential impacts of AI on key sectors of the Irish economy. The final report is due to be published early this year. It is clear that the development of new capabilities and capacities within the workforce will be necessary as it is very likely that new types of work will emerge. Ireland has always had an agile and adaptable labour force. The Government's priority, through targeted investment in reskilling and upskilling initiatives, is to empower the workforce with the skills needed to thrive in an AI-enabled economy and to meet the demand for evolving roles. We will also create an observatory, as I have said, dedicated to monitoring the use of AI across enterprise. Working in tandem with a new national skills observatory, it will guide the development of future enterprises. I thank Coimisiún na Meán and wish to remind anyone watching this difficult debate today that there are supports in place. I urge them to report, report, report.