Morning, Tuesday, 15th December 2026
Online
This conference will examine next steps for AI policy, regulation and adoption in Ireland. The agenda will discuss implementation of the EU AI Act and Ireland's new governance framework, accountability and public trust, enterprise and public-service adoption, as well as the research, infrastructure, skills and energy requirements associated with further deployment.
It will bring together stakeholders and policymakers to assess delivery of Ireland's emerging AI strategy as measures in the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026 and the Government's Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future strategy become operational. Delegates will consider practical implications for adoption, capability and investment, including barriers to wider use across enterprise and public services.
Sessions will examine the operation in practice of Ireland's new regulatory arrangements, including consistency and coordination across the distributed supervisory model and interaction with existing sectoral regimes. Approaches to maintaining effective oversight, accountability and routes to redress will be considered, as further national legislation is brought forward to reflect changes agreed through the Digital Omnibus on AI.
The early operation of the AI Office of Ireland will also be assessed, including its role in supporting coordination, consistent supervision and guidance across competent authorities. We expect questions raised by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on AI about its independence, expertise and resourcing to form part of the discussion, alongside the division of responsibilities across the regulatory framework.
The conference will also consider emerging risks associated with increasingly capable and autonomous general-purpose AI models, including concerns about the pace of model development and the readiness of existing testing and oversight arrangements, as well as approaches to monitoring and assurance and the scope for coordination between developers, regulators, EU institutions and international partners where risks extend across sectors or jurisdictions.
With high-risk obligations now due in December 2027 and August 2028, and the deadline for national regulatory sandboxes moved to August 2027, delegates will assess implications of the revised timetable for implementation and organisational readiness, including the availability of guidance and harmonised standards and development of the AI Regulatory Sandbox programme.
Regulation, oversight, accountability & implementation
Delegates will assess next steps for implementation and oversight of the new regulatory framework, including coordination across the distributed model, accountability and access to effective scrutiny and redress.
Areas for discussion include:
- implementation:
- operation of the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026 - investigatory powers, procedures and administrative sanctions
- next stages of national implementation - interaction with existing sectoral regimes
- regulatory coordination:
- roles of competent authorities and the AI Office of Ireland - consistency of interpretation and supervision
- allocation of responsibility for cross-sector cases, complaints and enforcement - access to specialist expertise and EU engagement
- regulatory testing & assurance:
- design, accessibility and resourcing of the national sandbox - priority access for SMEs and start-ups
- proportionality of market surveillance and sanctions - testing, monitoring and assurance for general-purpose and increasingly autonomous AI models
- data & protected material: use of personal data in training and deployment - copyright, licensing and protected works - position of rightsholders and the creative sector
- AI supply chain: responsibilities of providers, deployers, importers and distributors - contractual allocation of responsibilities - procurement practice
- transparency & human oversight:
- labelling of automated and manipulated content - information and explanation for people affected by AI-assisted decisions
- requirements for human review, intervention and challenge in consequential decisions
- scrutiny, complaints & redress:
- routes for individuals affected by automated decisions - visibility of supervisory and enforcement activity
- resourcing and coordination of bodies responsible for rights protection and redress
Enterprise & public service adoption, productivity & skills
Attendees will consider differences in the pace and extent of AI adoption across the economy and public services, and the barriers to wider uptake for domestic firms, SMEs and public bodies.
Areas for discussion include:
- adoption policy:
- forthcoming sectoral AI Adoption Strategy and targets - Enterprise Ireland's AI Adoption Roadmap and AI Sector Champions
- establishment of the Observatory for Business AI Readiness and use of data to track enterprise adoption
- barriers to deployment:
- considerations around cost and access to in-house expertise - differences in capability across multinationals, domestic firms, start-ups and SMEs
- moving from pilots to scaled use - procurement constraints and supplier dependence
- productivity & measurement:
- assessing economic and organisational impact
- differences in gains and costs across firms and sectors, and implications for investment, support and organisational readiness
- public services: capability and responsible deployment across public bodies - AI training and advisory capacity - human oversight in consequential decisions - public confidence in State use
- AI literacy & organisational readiness:
- meeting AI literacy requirements across different roles and organisations - reskilling, job redesign and workforce consultation
- National Training Fund and AI skilling provision - support for smaller employers
- governance, internal policies and assurance - occupational and sectoral exposure - displacement risks and adjustment costs
Research, infrastructure, energy & resilience
Attendees will consider priorities for research and commercialisation, access to computing and data infrastructure, and the implications of further data centre development for the energy system and environmental commitments. Discussion will also look at implementation of the Large Energy User Action Plan and the CRU's Large Energy Users Connection Policy.
Areas for discussion include:
- research & commercialisation:
- planned AI Research Centre of Scale and expansion of CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI - AI in Research Transformation Programme
- commercialisation pathways and access to specialist skills and investment
- data centres & energy:
- implementation of the Large Energy User Action Plan and the CRU's Large Energy Users Connection Policy - implications of the 80% renewable energy requirement for new data centres
- private wires legislation - grid capacity - sectoral emissions ceilings - planning and regional distribution - alignment of new capacity with renewable generation and energy infrastructure
- computing & data: access to advanced computing - AI Factory Antenna and CASPIr supercomputer - quality data and trusted data environments - interoperability, testing and certification
- cyber security & resilience:
- NIS2 transposition and the National Cyber Security Bill - NCSC assessment of AI-related cyber risk in public sector deployment
- governance and supply chain security - resilience as reliance on AI increases - risks associated with autonomous systems
- forthcoming Cyber Security Strategy and Cyber Security Research Centre of Excellence
All delegates will be able to contribute to the output of the conference, which will be shared with parliamentary, ministerial, departmental and regulatory offices, and more widely. This includes the full proceedings and additional articles submitted by delegates. As well as key stakeholders, those already due to attend include officials from the Department of Education and Youth, ROI; Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, NI; Department for Education; Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade; Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; Department for Work and Pensions; Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Government Digital Service; Government of Jersey; and The Scottish Government.
