Deputy Malcolm Byrne, Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow-Wexford and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence, was this week the keynote speaker at a special gathering of ambassadors from all European Union member states in Dublin. The event focused on the increasing influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on society and the EU’s leadership in AI regulation.
Held at the Embassy of Slovakia, the meeting brought together EU diplomatic representatives to discuss shared approaches to AI development, policy, and public safety.
Speaking to the ambassadors, Deputy Byrne highlighted the transformative impact of AI across a range of sectors, including agriculture, transport, and healthcare.
“Artificial Intelligence is having a transformative impact in areas as diverse as agriculture, transport, healthcare,” he said. “It is critical that as legislators and policymakers, we are really engaged in the topic. While we want to support innovation and enterprise, we must ensure that safety guardrails are in place.”
Deputy Byrne praised the European Union’s pioneering role in global AI regulation, particularly through the Artificial Intelligence Act, which establishes clear rules on how and where AI can be safely deployed across the bloc.
“The European Union is taking a global lead on this through the Artificial Intelligence Act, looking to regulate where and when AI can and cannot be used. It is of huge interest to every EU country, and I was honoured to be invited to speak to all the ambassadors at this event.”
Looking ahead, he noted that Artificial Intelligence will be a key theme of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2026.
Deputy Byrne also spoke of how AI is increasingly making its mark locally, across both Wicklow and Wexford:
“I am also meeting so many individuals, organisations, and businesses across Counties Wicklow and Wexford who are now using AI to make some of what they do more efficient. People are really beginning to engage in the possibilities of this new technology.”
