The UCD Geary Institute for Public Policy and CeADAR, Ireland’s Centre for AI, are coming together to host a joint event exploring the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence in Ireland’s public services. The session is designed as an introductory conversation, setting the stage for a series of follow-up discussions over the coming months that will examine the issue in greater depth.
The afternoon will open with remarks from Professor Michelle Norris, Director of the Geary Institute for Public Policy. As one of Ireland’s leading voices in housing and social policy, Professor Norris will frame the discussion in the broader context of public policy and governance, asking how AI can be integrated into public services in ways that are both effective and equitable.
This will be followed by a presentation from Dr John Lonsdale, CEO of CeADAR, on the opportunities for improved AI use within the Irish public service. Dr Lonsdale will outline how Ireland can move beyond early experimentation and pilot projects, identifying where AI could deliver meaningful impact in efficiency, service delivery, and public engagement. His talk will also highlight CeADAR’s role in bridging research, innovation, and applied AI for real-world use cases.
The heart of the afternoon will be a roundtable discussion and audience Q&A running until 4pm. Chaired by Dr Lonsdale, the panel will bring together a diverse group of voices from policy, economics, and governance. Bernard Harbor, a member of the AI Advisory Council, will share insights on the national policy landscape and the role of the Council in shaping Ireland’s AI strategy. Dr Dermot Coates, Chief Economist in the Economic and Tax Policy Unit and Head of Secretariat of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council, will examine the economic implications of AI adoption, particularly in terms of productivity, competitiveness, and Ireland’s place in the global economy. Patrick Moran, Principal Officer for Public Service Transformation in the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, will bring a practitioner’s perspective on the transformation challenges within government and how AI might accelerate change.
The roundtable will focus on four major themes. The first is how to better harness AI within the public sector, moving from abstract potential to concrete use cases. The second is workforce readiness and the upskilling required to ensure that AI does not remain confined to technical experts but becomes embedded across the public service. The third concerns the challenges ahead, ranging from cultural resistance and regulatory requirements to questions of trust and accountability. Finally, the discussion will consider how effective AI adoption in Ireland’s public services could boost the country’s global competitiveness, allowing it to lead not just in technology development but also in governance innovation.
Although tickets for this opening session are already sold out, it represents only the beginning of a much wider conversation. In the coming months, the UCD Geary Institute and CeADAR will build on this discussion with a series of follow-up events, each diving deeper into the critical questions raised. These sessions will provide a space for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to work through the complex issues involved in bringing AI into public service.