Straits Institute for Applied AI
Go toAI+Library
Industrial Research Unit · Straits Institute for Applied AI
Flag of Ireland

Applied AI in Ireland

Ireland's record spans an airline and the state — Ryanair gives Gemini to 35,000 staff, passport officials pilot an AI chatbot — under the national AI strategy refreshed in November 2024.

AI readiness
0.69
Rank 25 of 171 — IMF AI Preparedness Index
On the record
29
entries across 11 industries
National programme
2024
AI – Here for Good: National AI Strategy (refreshed 2024)

More on Ireland lands here as we find it.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Services 56.7% · Industry 37.8% · Agriculture 1.1% of gross value added — World Bank, 2025

Compare with
Filters
29 entries

Government & Public Sector

11

Passport officials at Foreign Affairs are piloting Ask Finn, an internal AI chatbot.

Evidence of adoptionGovernment & Public SectorIreland13 Oct 2026

Ireland launches Intelligence:Applied with a €150m AI skills programme

Government of Ireland (Department of the Taoiseach) — The Irish Government's Intelligence:Applied AI adoption plan lists 35 flagship actions. Core funding covers a €150 million AI Future Skills programme for worker training and lifelong learning and a €21 million AI Startup Accelerator Programme. A new Social Protection Innovation Hub tests generative AI that guides claimants through welfare eligibility, part of state AI uptake.

gov.ie
DeploymentGovernment & Public SectorIreland23 Sep 2026

Ireland's Courts Service moves an AI transcription tool into a live pilot

Courts Service of Ireland — Ireland's Courts Service will move its DAR AI Assistant, an AI court transcription and search tool, into a small-scale live pilot, with judges and court employees as users. Courthouse audio tests found 585 word errors in over 30,000 hand-checked words, a 2.2 percent rate, for the €170,000 system. Bad sound, more than regional accents, tripped up the AI transcripts.

Judges and court staffthestory.ie
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland21 Jul 2026

Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026

Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) — Ireland's Oireachtas has handed the country a dedicated AI regulator: the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026 (Number 31 of 2026) creates the AI Office of Ireland, Oifig IS na hÉireann, tasked with enforcing the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) locally. This Irish AI regulation assigns market-watchdog duties to named bodies, opens sandboxes for testing high-risk systems under real conditions, and rolls out a public register, one-stop contact point, complaint-handling steps and penalties, together forming the state's new AI oversight framework.

irishstatutebook.ie
Evidence of impactGovernment & Public SectorIreland19 Jul 2026

Irish Courts Service finds its judges' AI case assistant not fit for purpose

Courts Service of Ireland — A June 2026 review rated the Courts Service of Ireland's judicial Case AI Assistant proof of concept unfit for purpose, and other trials stalled before production over unacceptable accuracy, completeness or risk. The public information chatbot returned wrong or partial answers, while the staff chatbot was never switched on. Court AI guidance is now being drafted with judges through the Judicial AI Group.

irishexaminer.com
DeploymentGovernment & Public SectorIreland20 Jan 2026

Irish passport officials pilot the Ask Finn chatbot

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade — Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is piloting Ask Finn, an internal AI chatbot for passport processing, as Passport Service, Revenue and Citizens Information Board officials prepared for the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence. Revenue's AI models route taxpayer queries more precisely to caseworkers, and Citizens Information is rolling out its AskCI bot.

Passport officerrte.ie
DeploymentGovernment & Public SectorIreland19 Dec 2025

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown trials AI-powered road and footpath survey

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council — Gaist's AI road condition survey system now covers 823 km of routes for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Ireland's first such pilot by a local authority. Vehicle cameras capture 360-degree footage that AI software turns into surface ratings, faded-marking alerts and street furniture maps, feeding wider AI-based infrastructure monitoring.

Infrastructure surveyordlrcoco.ie
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland8 May 2025

Government launches AI guidelines for the public service

Department of Public Expenditure — Ireland's Department of Public Expenditure launched a framework covering AI in public service: the "Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service". Jack Chambers presented it with a Decision Framework, a Responsible AI Canvas Tool, and free staff training. This reflects Ireland's push for responsible AI adoption in government, favouring guidance over mandates.

irishtimes.com
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland4 Mar 2025

Ireland approves distributed model for implementing the EU AI Act

Government of Ireland — Eight bodies will share EU AI Act implementation in Ireland instead of one super-regulator: the Central Bank of Ireland, the Data Protection Commission and the Health Products Regulatory Authority among them. Each already polices AI regulation in its own sector. A new AI Office of Ireland coordinates centrally from August 2026.

enterprise.gov.ie
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland18 Jul 2024

AI, large language models and data protection guidance

Data Protection Commission — Ireland's Data Protection Commission issued 'AI, Large Language Models and Data Protection' on 18 July 2024, mapping GDPR and Irish law onto large language model training and use. The guidance addresses AI data protection concerns for organisations building generative AI tools, covering fairness, lawfulness, transparency, storage limitation, data subject rights and automated decision-making.

dataprotection.ie
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland17 Jan 2024

Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council established

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment — Ireland AI regulation now has an independent advisory voice: the AI Advisory Council held its opening session with Dr Patricia Scanlon chairing. Dara Calleary founded the panel to give ministers impartial specialist input, seeking public confidence in artificial intelligence built around trustworthiness and human needs. Members will also produce their own AI policy advice tracking new developments, dangers and possibilities.

enterprise.gov.ie
RegulationGovernment & Public SectorIreland8 Jul 2021

AI - Here for Good: National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Ireland

Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment — Under Ireland AI policy, the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment unveiled 'AI - Here for Good', the nation's inaugural National AI Strategy, targeting a top global position in trustworthy, human-centred artificial intelligence. Officials back an ethical, people-focused path for building, deploying and applying AI, meant to boost output, tackle social problems and upgrade public services via responsible AI adoption.

gov.ie

Finance & Insurance

2
DeploymentFinance & InsuranceIreland21 Sep 2026

Pensions Awareness Ireland launches an AI retirement coach

Pensions Awareness Ireland — Pensions Awareness Ireland has released Ali, billed as the country's first AI retirement coach, to mark Pensions Awareness Week 2026. Ali takes a saver's age, chosen finishing age, gross yearly pay and monthly payments, then returns a dashboard setting out projected income. Schooled on the Irish pensions rules, the tool replies from that dashboard and shows whether a pot will fund the later life wanted — AI pension planning without an appointment.

Pension advisersiliconrepublic.com
DeploymentFinance & InsuranceIreland10 Jul 2025

AIB rolls out Microsoft Copilot to 10,000 employees

Allied Irish Banks (AIB) — Roughly 10,000 AIB staff now have Microsoft 365 Copilot built into Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint, an early step in AI in banking. A dedicated AI Centre of Excellence develops bespoke tools using Copilot Studio, and coders will soon receive GitHub Copilot to speed development.

Banking professionalnews.microsoft.com

Healthcare & Life Sciences

2

HIQA has issued Ireland's first national guidance on AI in health and social care.

RegulationHealthcare & Life SciencesIreland23 Sep 2026

HSE sets a five-phase framework for AI projects in Irish healthcare

Health Service Executive (HSE) — The Health Service Executive (HSE) issued guidance under Ireland AI regulation splitting health-service AI projects into five stages, from opportunity spotting to live oversight. An Opportunity Registration Platform, a Fundamental Rights Impact Assessment and an AI Inventory accompany the rules, and this clinical AI governance underpins the 2026 AI for Care strategy.

htn.co.uk
RegulationHealthcare & Life SciencesIreland29 Jul 2026

HIQA issues Ireland's first national guidance on AI in health

Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) — Ireland's Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published the first national guidance on safe, responsible AI in health and social care, commissioned by the Department of Health. New AI must be judged safe and trustworthy before use, and HIQA calls accountability the foundation, requiring clear accountability lines and robust governance for every AI use.

rte.ie

Agriculture & Food

1
DeploymentAgriculture & FoodIreland2025-08

Dundalk Bay Seafoods deploys AI-powered shellfish grader

Dundalk Bay Seafoods — Dundalk Bay Seafoods, a Co Louth family processor, runs Ireland's first AI-powered shellfish grader, scanning 10 seafood pieces per second via laser and machine vision. This AI shellfish grading system detects soft shells, cracks, sand and contaminants undamaged, starting with Dublin Bay Prawns and Razor Clams, backed by a €213,000 Seafood Development Programme grant.

Seafood processorfdiforum.net

Business Operations

1
DeploymentBusiness OperationsIreland10 Jul 2025

AIB rolls out Microsoft Copilot to 10,000 employees

AIB — Microsoft Copilot banking now touches 10,000 AIB staff via Microsoft 365 apps — Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, PowerPoint — cutting time spent on routine admin. AIB's AI Centre of Excellence is also crafting bespoke tools with Copilot Studio, extending AI in banking beyond a single off-the-shelf tool.

Office workercomputerweekly.com

Education & Training

1
RegulationEducation & TrainingIreland22 Dec 2025

HEA publishes national policy framework on generative AI in higher education

Higher Education Authority — Ireland's HEA has issued a national policy framework guiding generative AI in higher education. Five pillars underpin it: integrity in academic work, equity plus inclusion, human oversight, data privacy and governance, and sustainable pedagogy. It steers responsible, values-led AI adoption in universities nationwide, rather than dictating one method.

hea.ie

Manufacturing, Energy & Resources

1
DeploymentManufacturing, Energy & ResourcesIreland2025-12

SSE Airtricity launches AI energy advisor for 65,000 smart meter customers

SSE Airtricity — SSE Airtricity's new AI energy advisor, the ESI Energy Advisor, now serves personalised savings tips to more than 65,000 smart meter households in Ireland. Built on Databricks infrastructure with Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.5 underneath, it mines billions of nightly meter readings to shape suggestions for individual homes. Within the advisor's first month live, 90% of logged-in customers clicked through to view their AI-powered energy savings recommendations, and unique visits to the insights section climbed 12% over the same period.

Customer service agenttheapplied.co

Retail & Consumer

1
DeploymentRetail & ConsumerIreland7 Aug 2025

Lenehans launches Ireland's first AI-powered shop assistant

Lenehans — Lenehans built a conversational AI shop assistant into lenehans.ie, covering over 30,000 products. Shoppers get tailored suggestions, live stock and delivery checks, plus guided DIY steps. Ireland's home retail sector rarely sees a retail AI assistant this broad.

Retail sales assistantthehardwarejournal.ie

Technology & Software

1
RegulationTechnology & SoftwareIreland25 Sep 2026

Irish data regulator publishes lessons from supervising 180 AI products

Data Protection Commission (Ireland) — Ireland's Data Protection Commission issued Responsible Artificial Intelligence Innovation, AI data protection guidance distilled from overseeing roughly 180 AI tools during 2021 to 2025. The regulator frames the report as both an account of its interventions and advice for controllers. Lawful grounds for model training, chiefly legitimate interests, and clear disclosure dominate this privacy oversight of AI.

dataprotection.ie

Transport & Logistics

1

Ryanair's five-year deal puts Google Workspace and Gemini in front of 35,000 employees.

DeploymentTransport & LogisticsIreland12 Aug 2026

Ryanair gives Google Workspace and Gemini to 35,000 employees

Ryanair — Ryanair has signed a five-year deal putting Google Workspace and Gemini Enterprise in front of 35,000 employees, aiming AI in aviation at crew logistics, decision automation and corporate productivity. It also plans Google DeepMind's AlphaEvolve and WeatherNext models for maintenance scheduling and fleet operations; no deployment timeline was given.

All staff (airline)unite.ai
Latest on the record
  • Evidence of adoptionIreland launches Intelligence:Applied with a €150m AI skills programmeGovernment & Public Sector13 Oct 2026gov.ie
  • RegulationIrish data regulator publishes lessons from supervising 180 AI productsTechnology & Software25 Sep 2026dataprotection.ie
  • RegulationHSE sets a five-phase framework for AI projects in Irish healthcareHealthcare & Life Sciences23 Sep 2026htn.co.uk
  • DeploymentIreland's Courts Service moves an AI transcription tool into a live pilotGovernment & Public Sector23 Sep 2026thestory.ie
  • DeploymentPensions Awareness Ireland launches an AI retirement coachFinance & Insurance21 Sep 2026siliconrepublic.com
  • DeploymentRyanair gives Google Workspace and Gemini to 35,000 employeesTransport & Logistics12 Aug 2026unite.ai
Read next
Every country in Europe
Ireland0.69United Kingdom0.73Germany0.75Czechia—Netherlands0.77Italy0.62Spain0.65France0.70Poland0.60Russia—Hungary—Switzerland—Belgium0.67Sweden0.75Norway—Denmark0.78Austria0.72Ukraine—Portugal—Estonia—Greece—Slovakia—Croatia—Romania—Serbia—Belarus—Bulgaria—Finland—Latvia—Albania—Malta—Luxembourg—Slovenia—Iceland—Lithuania—Andorra—Moldova—European Union0.66Guernsey—Isle of Man—Montenegro—Bosnia and Herzegovina—Faroe Islands—Gibraltar—Jersey—Åland Islands—North Macedonia—Vatican City—Monaco—Liechtenstein—
Method and sources

Every entry on this page is a named organisation putting AI to work in a real job, taken from the State of Applied AI record. Each one is traced to the report it came from and dated, and where a figure is the organisation’s own the entry says so rather than presenting it as an independent result. Readiness, ecosystem and policy figures, where shown, are attributed on the card to the body that published them.

The record is maintained continuously by the Industrial Research Unit of the Straits Institute for Applied AI: entries are added as they are found and verified, not on a schedule, and nothing is published without an open source behind it. It currently holds 4731 entries across 249 countries.