‘More resources needed for AI regulators’
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) says that none of the Irish bodies to be given additional powers through the EU’s have received additional resources from the Government.
The EU legislation requires that fundamental rights are protected when AI systems are developed and deployed and gives existing authorities powers to protect those right.
In Ireland, nine authorities will receive these powers in August 2026.
Survey
ICCL says that its finding is based on a survey it carried out to assess the watchdogs’ readiness.
It said that none of the seven organisations that responded had received any resources or any indication that they would soon.
“More worryingly, some of them have been told that the Government does not intend to provide them with any additional resources,” the ICCL added.
“Without additional resources, fundamental-rights bodies like the Ombudsman for Children and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) could find themselves unable to protect people from AI-related harms,” stated the ICCL’s Dr Kris Shrishak.
Fundamental-rights expertise
The ICCL also said that the Government had not yet identified regulators for prohibited and high-risk AI systems under the EU act.
It added that these regulators would also need expertise in fundamental rights.
“Among the currently identified regulators, only the Data Protection Commission (DPC) has a mandate that covers fundamental rights,” it said.
Dr Shrishak stated that these powers and responsibilities required deep technical knowledge of AI and an understanding of the AI Act.
“It is ICCL’s understanding that none of the fundamental-rights bodies, except the DPC, currently have this expertise. Training and upskilling existing staff may be challenging due to the bodies’ existing workloads in other areas of their mandate,” he added.
“These bodies must have the resources they need to ensure they can use their powers from day one,” he concluded.