Call for AI observatory to monitor Ireland’s skills impact

The Government’s AI Advisory Council is recommending the establishment of an AI observatory to monitor the technology’s impact on Ireland’s skills landscape

Ireland’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Council is recommending that the Government establish an AI observatory to track the technology’s real-time impacts on jobs and skills.

Speaking in June at a hearing of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, AI Advisory Council Chair Dr. Patricia Scanlon said Ireland’s window to lead AI transformation, rather than be shaped by it, was closing.

“AI is fundamentally transforming how we work, learn, innovate and function as a society,” Scanlon told committee members, “The decisions we make in the coming months will be critical.”

Scanlon, who is also Ireland’s first AI Ambassador, holds a PhD in AI and has held roles at Columbia University, Bell Labs and IBM. As founder and CEO of SoapBox Labs, acquired by Curriculum Associates in 2023, she scaled the company into a global leader in voice AI for children.

“I am often asked whether Ireland is leading in AI,” she said, “The point is we are at a critical juncture right now. We have a lot of real strengths but also real constraints. The choices we make now determine whether we shape this future or are shaped by it.”

Ireland’s AI surge A report released earlier this year by Trinity College Dublin found that AI adoption across the island of Ireland had surged to 91 percent, almost doubling from 49 percent in 2024.

Drawing on insights from 300 senior leaders, the AI Economy in Ireland 2025 report revealed the technology’s potential to contribute at least €250 billion to Ireland’s gross domestic product by 2035.

Produced by Trinity Centre for Digital Business and Analytics in collaboration with Microsoft Ireland, the report noted that this figure could rise by a further €60 billion depending on how Government, business and industry leaders harness AI’s capabilities and implement policies fostering responsible innovation.

Ireland cannot wait for “perfect clarity” before we take such action, Scanlon warned.

“We need to move decisively and urgently hold firm to our rights-based principles. Hesitation and half-measures will leave us behind and exposed to global AI developments, without securing benefits for Ireland,” she said.

AI observatory The AI Advisory Council’s proposed AI observatory would provide a real-time understanding of the technology’s impact on Ireland’s skills landscape.

“Without something like this, we are navigating tomorrow’s changes with yesterday’s map,” Scanlon said.

“We cannot be reactive. Ireland needs a national system for tracking real-time impacts on jobs and skills as they happen.”

In addition to a dedicated skills observatory, the AI Advisory Council has also emphasised the need to support and promote AI literacy.

Council member Alan Smeaton stressed the need for a coordinated effort to ensure AI literacy at all levels in education and the workplace.

Smeaton is Emeritus Professor of Computing at Dublin City University and a founding co-director of the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics.

“In all of the advisory papers we have published this year, we’ve stressed the importance of AI literacy,” Smeaton said.

“AI literacy is crucial; teachers and workers must have a firm grasp on AI concepts and the power and limits of this technology.”

Ensuring equitable AI literacy across all facets of society is, however, challenging.

“Although we have a mental model of many of the technologies we use, this doesn’t necessarily extend to large language models. To many people it is a ‘black box’ and this creates challenges which could be addressed by promoting and supporting AI literacy,” Smeaton said.

He pointed to Finland as an example of a European country leading on AI literacy programmes for its citizenry. During the country’s 2019 Presidency of the European Union, the Finnish Government launched ‘Elements of AI’, a free massive open online course (MOOC) developed by the University of Helsinki and MinnaLearn, a Finnish learning company.

The objective of Elements of AI at the outset was to teach one percent of Finland’s population the basics of AI. The Finnish Government also committed to making the course available to other countries in the EU.

To date, ‘Elements of AI’ has been localised in some 30 countries in partnership with local universities and businesses.

“Finland is particularly advanced in its approach to AI literacy at a national level,” Smeaton said, “There are reports that a sizable portion of the Finnish population has completed ‘Elements of AI’.

“In Ireland, I think we can learn from what Finland has done. We can build on and improve it. In doing so, we can help to ensure that no one in Irish society is left behind.”

Regulatory capacity

Patricia Scanlon said Ireland had the potential to become Europe’s preferred AI base, but only if we fundamentally change our approach to regulation.

“We have strong foundations, including an educated workforce, robust research, energetic start-ups, multinational companies and a reputation for balancing innovation with rights, but other countries are also racing to become AI hubs,” Scanlon said.

“When GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] came into force, Ireland took a leading role as Europe’s data regulator. It was a challenging task but we navigated it successfully.

“We gained global respect and valuable experience. We must draw on that experience again as we respond to AI.”

Scanlon warned, however, that Ireland’s past successes in technology would not guarantee our future success in AI.

“Tweaking around the edges will not work. We need new regulatory capacity that is well resourced and works quickly across sectors. Good regulation helps companies act quickly and responsibly, protecting people and supporting innovation,” she said.

Governance frameworks

The Irish Government could “lead by example” by integrating AI into public services responsibly, transparently and accountably, Scanlon said.

“Leadership demands governance frameworks aligned with our European partners. AI does not respect institutional boundaries, so fragmented responses to AI regulation and implementation will not work.”

In leading by example, the Irish Government would build public confidence and demonstrate Ireland’s capacity to harness AI safely and ethically, Scanlon said. She noted, however, that a “fundamental shift to energy-efficient AI infrastructure” would be equally important. “Ireland’s AI future depends on transforming how we approach digital infrastructure. Our current grid constraints have halted data centre expansion but simply building more of the same is not the answer.

“This means mass investment in renewable energy capacity, smart grid technology and infrastructure that serves Ireland’s people first.

“This transformation will not happen overnight. It requires immediate co-ordinated investment across Government and industry.”

Defining our future

The AI Advisory Council was established in January 2024 to advise the Government on AI policy.

Comprising 15 independent experts, it offers guidance, insights and recommendations on AI trends, and the promotion of a trustworthy, ethical and person-centred approach to the technology’s adoption.

Scanlon said the council would continue to offer independent evidence-based advice guided by the public interest.

“The decisions Ireland makes in the coming months, informed by this advice, will define our future,” she said.