Ireland will voice its support for putting in place guardrails for trustworthy, human centred artificial intelligence (AI) at a major summit which begins in Paris tomorrow.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been invited to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit, which will see world leaders, company CEOs and campaigners gather to discuss the future of AI.
"This summit will be a useful opportunity to exchange views with political leaders from around the globe, as well as the private sector, the research community and civil society groups on the approach to these technologies in different parts of the world, and to discuss where further international collaboration is needed to build on our ongoing engagements at the EU, the OECD and in the United Nations system," said Peter Burke, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
"We fully support putting in place the guardrails for trustworthy, human centred AI in the European Union," he added.
"This will protect individuals' safety and fundamental rights while continuing to promote and encourage innovation," Mr Burke said.
He was responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne.
"Artificial Intelligence is transforming so many aspects of all our lives and we need to debate the guardrails as to when and how it should be used," Mr Byrne said.
"This will be a critical issue for Government," he added.
The EU AI Act came into force in August 2024 and bans artificial intelligence systems considered a clear threat to the safety, livelihoods and rights of people.
There are also strict rules for high-risk AI systems used in critical infrastructure, law enforcement and elections.
In the United States however, President Donald Trump has revoked executive orders signed by his predecessor Joe Biden that sought to reduce the risks AI poses to consumers, workers and national security.
The arrival of China's DeepSeek AI model has sparked concerns that safety and regulation may suffer as the global AI race enters a new phase.
