Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 February 2026
87. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment if he will provide for the development of a national AI risk register within the national AI office to identify and monitor systemic risks across sectors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12950/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware AI Office of Ireland will be the central coordinating body for the implementation of the EU AI Act in Ireland. As per the Government decision, Ireland has adopted a distributed model with the AI Office working with the designated sectoral regulators that will oversee their respective sectors and act as Market Surveillance Authorities, building on their existing areas of responsibility and expertise.
With the distributed model comes a need for effective governance and coordination to ensure coherence and effective implementation of the Act, as such the AI Office will be fulfilling a number of roles as the central coordinating body. As the EU AI act is based on a framework of risk with regards to the implementation and deployment of AI systems, part of the remit for the AI Office will be maintaining central resources, including a register to identify and monitor systemic risks across sectors, supporting transparency, accountability, and effective governance as Ireland implements the EU AI Act.
AI capabilities are evolving rapidly and the AI Office once operational will build the expertise that will support effective responses to these challenges. By creating centralised resources such as a national risk register, the AI Office will be able to provide insight to the regulatory bodies and identify any cross sectoral issues that may arise. This work will help ensure that Ireland is well positioned to monitor emerging AI related risks and to support safe, trustworthy, and ethical deployment of AI across all sectors.
