Ireland: Government approves distributed model for implementation of EU Artificial Intelligence Act

On 4 March 2025, the Irish government approved a recommendation from the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment to adopt a distributed model for implementing the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. This approach entails the designation of eight public bodies as competent authorities, each assigned responsibility for the implementation and enforcement of the Act within their respective sectors. The list of designated authorities includes the Central Bank of Ireland, the Commission for Communications Regulation, the Commission for Railway Regulation, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Data Protection Commission, the Health and Safety Authority, the Health Products Regulatory Authority, and the Marine Survey Office of the Department of Transport. The designation of further authorities, along with a lead regulator who will coordinate enforcement and provide centralised functions, is to be made by a future government decision. The EU AI Act establishes a regulatory framework for AI systems in the EU, focusing on high-risk AI systems and the prohibition of certain AI practices. The scope of application of the Act is extensive, encompassing all sectors of the economy, with specific exemptions for applications related to national defence, security, scientific R&D, and personal use. The Act imposes conditions on high-risk AI systems and includes transparency requirements for lower-risk systems, such as chatbots and biometric categorisation. Penalties for infringements can reach up to EUR 35 million or 7% of global turnover, depending on the severity of the violation. The Act's provisions will be phased in over the period from February 2025 to August 2027.