Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence to discuss successful AI programmes in the public sector

The Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence, chaired by Deputy Malcolm Byrne, will meet to discuss successful AI public sector programmes on Tuesday, the 20th of January at 11.00 am in Committee Room 4.

The Committee will hear from officials from state agencies and departments including Citizens Information Board, Office of the Revenue Commissioners and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Speaking before the meeting, the Cathaoirleach Deputy Malcolm Byrne said:

"The harnessing of AI within the public sector is still in its infancy but the departments and agencies attending the Committee meeting are assisting our understanding of AI as a feature within the private sector. Citizens Information will discuss the role out of the AskCI bot, Revenue has deployed AI models to assist in more accurately directing taxpayer queries to the appropriate Revenue caseworker and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is piloting the 'Ask Finn' chat bot which is an internal bot used by internal officials to assist with processing passports.

While public sector workers offer a vast cohort of knowledge, expertise and skills in their area, AI has the potential to transform the public sector by providing the most efficient service. While concerns are evident and will be discussed, particularly in the case of face-to-face support for the customer, the Committee looks forward to engaging with the departments and agencies who are using AI to improve their service."

The Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence has 14 Members, nine from the Dáil and five from the Seanad.

The Committee meeting can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV. Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.