Earlier this month, the UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy and CeADAR Ireland hosted a sold-out roundtable discussion at the Royal Irish Academy that examined the challenges and opportunities of using AI in Ireland’s public services.
The afternoon began with an opening address from Professor Michelle Norris, Director of the Geary Institute for Public Policy. Following the opening remarks, Dr John Lonsdale, CEO of CeADAR, presented on the opportunities for improved AI use within the Irish public service (slides available here). He explored how Ireland might move beyond early-stage experimentation toward generating real, impactful outcomes in areas. He also noted Ireland’s strong position in the global AI landscape, while drawing comparisons with Estonia, a smaller nation that has effectively embedded AI across its public services, as a way of illustrating how Ireland might further raise its ambitions.
This was followed by a roundtable discussion and a lively audience Q&A chaired by Dr Lonsdale. The panel included speakers across academia, government, and advisory bodies:
- Bernard Harbor, Senior Communications Consultant and a member of the national the AI Advisory Council
- Dr Dermot Coates, Chief Economist of the Economic and Tax Policy Unit and Head of Secretariat of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council
- Patrick Moran, Principal Officer for Public Service Transformation at the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
This event was designed as an introductory session, aimed at laying the groundwork for a national conversation on AI in public services, grounded in policy, economics, and practical challenges.
In the coming months, the Geary Institute and CeADAR will run several follow-up events to further examine the implementation of AI into the public sector in Ireland.
Keep an eye on this page for details of future events.