Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence (Houses of the Oireachtas)
- Type
- Body with AI jurisdiction and named seats
- Place
- Ireland
- Last checked
- 2026-09-22
- Next check due
- 2026-12-21
Named seats
- Naoise Ó Cearúil, TD (Fianna Fáil) — chair
Official, up-to-date list of members Verified
Ways to reach them
- Public submission route
Its AI responsibilities
A DEDICATED standing AI committee — the only one of its kind among the jurisdictions in this survey. Its stated remit, quoted from the Oireachtas: it 'was established to examine and make recommendations on Ireland's approach to the development, deployment, regulation, and ethical considerations of artificial intelligence (AI), and on the means of ensuring that the approach supports economic growth, innovation, public trust, and societal benefit while safeguarding rights and mitigating risks.' Established 12 May 2025, drawn from the 34th Dáil and 27th Seanad.
Current business
Next meeting 23 September 2026, 16:30, Committee Room 3, LH 2000 — a session with Minister Niamh Smyth, Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. The committee's recent module was 'AI and the Environment', with sessions on 9, 16 and 30 June 2026 taking evidence from Technology Ireland/IBEC and Enterprise Ireland among others.
Public route
Two routes. (1) 'Anyone who wishes to raise a matter with a Committee may write or send a submission to the Committee at any time' — there is no need to wait for a consultation, which makes this the most permanently open AI committee in this survey. (2) Respond to a formal public consultation when the committee issues a call for submissions; current calls are listed on the Oireachtas public consultations page.
Format rules
No fixed word limit. Follow the Oireachtas guidance note 'Making Witness Submissions and Oral Presentations to Oireachtas Committees'. Submissions and opening statements accepted by the committee are published on the committee's Documents page — the committee routinely publishes witnesses' opening statements. Witnesses appearing before an Oireachtas committee have qualified privilege; written submissions from the public do not automatically attract it.
Key people
Leas-Chathaoirleach (Vice-Chair): James Geoghegan, TD (Fine Gael). Deputies: Malcolm Byrne (FF), Sinéad Gibney (Social Democrats), Keira Keogh (FG), Paul Murphy (People Before Profit-Solidarity), Johnny Mythen (SF), James O'Connor (FF), Darren O'Rourke (SF). Senators: Laura Harmon (Labour), Noel O'Donovan (FG), Lynn Ruane (Independent), Dee Ryan (FF), Gareth Scahill (FG). Note the unusually wide ideological spread — Lynn Ruane (Ind) and Paul Murphy (PBP) give civil-society perspectives a guaranteed seat.
Research note
VERIFIED 2026-09-22 by direct fetch of the committee's own Oireachtas pages; the membership page was last updated 22 Sep 2026, 14:15. This is the single most accessible dedicated AI committee among all jurisdictions covered.