The number of garda investigations into images generated by the Grok AI tool has risen from 200 to 244.
The Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence has been told by Assistant Garda Commissioner Angela Willis that around half of those investigations relate to child sexual abuse material.
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy asked Assistant Commissioner Willis if any of the investigations were focussed on Grok and its management, as opposed to the users creating the imagery.
"We will go wherever the evidence takes us, and that might first be a user, but then, more broadly, depending on what evidence and what cooperation we get from the particular platform, and whatever evidence we can glean from that, that can be in another jurisdiction, so it can be quite complicated and a quite lengthy process," Assistant Commissioner Willis said.
"But we will take those as far as we can, from an evidential perspective, and then we will obviously bring that information before the DPP."
"So we're not ruling anything out," she added.
Answering questions from Fine Gael TD James Geoghegan, Assistant Commissioner Willis said that if someone knowingly deployed an AI tool capable of producing child sexual abuse material they could be subjected to investigation but it would be a matter for the DPP whether to prosecute.
Assistant Commissioner Willis told the committee that AI is changing how policing functions, how crime is committed, how evidence is generated, how victims are targeted, and how disinformation and harmful content can be created and circulated.
"It is also changing the tools available to law enforcement," she said.
"With the commencement of relevant legislation, we will seek to create operational efficiency and increased public safety, through automating the onerous task of reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, or thousands of images of online child sexual exploitation material.
"While AI can provide assistance to policing, decisions on how the information is utilised will always have human input," she added.
Representatives from the Policing and Community Safety Authority are also appearing before the Oireachtas AI Committee.
Chair of the Authority, Dr Elaine Byrne, said that as the independent oversight body, its primary role regarding AI is to monitor the implementation and use of such systems by An Garda Síochána.
"In practice we will place a key focus on the way that the use of AI is consistent with the statutory functions of An Garda Síochána and policing principles," Dr Byrne said.
Committee Cathaoirleach Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne said this week's hearings will discuss leveraging AI's capabilities to police the digital world and using AI to safeguard the police force by reducing their exposure to harmful material.
"As a committee we look forward to discussing the potential AI has in assisting our justice system and An Garda Síochána while maintaining the core principles of our public service bodies and the public's trust in these institutions," Mr Byrne said.
