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Minister Breen to sign EU Declaration on Artificial Intelligence aimed at harnessing opportunities for Ireland in the sector
Minister for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection, Mr Pat Breen, will today (Tuesday April 10) attend EU Digital Day 2018 where he will sign a number of political Declarations, including one on Artificial Intelligence (AI).
This one-day event in Brussels is organised by the European Commission and will bring together high-level stakeholders in the fields of digital technology and telecommunication with the aim of putting Europe’s digital future in the spotlight.
The purpose of Digital Day is to facilitate discussion on priority issues on the digital agenda. The event is structured around initiatives to reach joint commitments related to the digital future of Europe in order to encourage investment in European digital technologies and infrastructures.
Minister Breen stated,
“Ireland’s engagement at the forefront of initiatives at EU level to progress the digital transformation agenda is essential if we are to maximise the benefits arising from technological developments. Through our long-term Enterprise Strategy, Enterprise 2025, we have committed to developing an ambitious vision and strategy for Ireland’s digital economy, that will drive a coordinated, cross-government approach to deliver on a range of inter-related policies, encompassing International and EU developments and developments at both the business environmental level and firm level.”
At the event, Minister Breen will sign up to political Declarations on Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Innovation Radar on behalf of Ireland. These Declarations set out areas where agreement was reached by Member States for future cooperation. Minister Breen will also participate in the Digital Day session on Artificial Intelligence.
Minister Breen stated,
“Ireland already has a burgeoning Artificial Intelligence ecosystem driven by a cohort of technological multinational and indigenous SMEs and supported by our third level sector. We are putting further support measures in place to support this industry base.”
The Government recently announced revised ICT Research Priority Areas for 2018-2023, which have been broadened to include Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (including Machine Learning), Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality.