Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 June 2023
77. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will report on his recent participation at high-level roundtable on artificial intelligence in Sweden; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31384/23]
View answerOn 23rd May I participated in a high-level roundtable on AI, hosted by the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai. The meeting gathered leaders from governments and industry for a discussion on the latest digital technology developments and how to boost Europe's innovation and competitiveness. Along with Ireland, the event gathered representatives from Czechia, the Nordic, Benelux, and Baltic countries.
My attendance at the event was an important opportunity to highlight Ireland’s work to promote digital transformation and the ethical and human-centric development and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
My visit to Stockholm allowed me to discuss and hear directly about the potential for AI to enhance innovation in Europe and how we can safely harness the technology to improve our lives and society in areas like healthcare, climate, education and business competitiveness.
The meeting of the leading European digital frontrunners, along with the private sector, showed the importance of governments and industry working together to harness the opportunities of AI and also working to ensure that the technology is aligned with human-values and ethically founded.
During my visit I also met with representatives of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Sweden and Enterprise Ireland client companies operating in the Nordic region. I also held separate bilateral meeting with the Estonian Minister of Economic Affairs and Information Technology, Tiit Riisalo, and with the Swedish State Secretary for EU Affairs, Christian Danielsson, on a range of topics of mutual interest.
