On 18 February 2026, the Irish Government published its Digital & AI Strategy (“Strategy”). The 95 page document entitled “Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future” sets out 20 high-level objectives, supported by 90 specific deliverables, which aim to ensure that Ireland remains a “digital leader” in an increasingly competitive global environment.
The 90 deliverables concern seven policy areas, including public services, enterprise, digital and AI infrastructure, cyber security, digital regulation, online safety, and skills and talent. The Strategy is structured around five strategic ambitions: Apply, Grow, Invest, Lead and Empower. The Strategy will be implemented on a cross-government basis from the Department of Taoiseach.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: “We are at a pivotal moment in our digital transformation, with the rapid evolution of digital technologies and the transformative power of AI reshaping how we live, how we work, and how we interact as a society”.
The Strategy recognises Ireland’s position as a regulatory hub for companies operating across the EU Digital Single Market. It aims to put in place the building blocks to harness digital and AI opportunities for competitiveness and continued economic growth; to enhance Ireland’s digital public services, and to empower our people to thrive in a digital society.
This article considers the key highlights of the Strategy.
Apply: a digital public service
The Government aims to accelerate digital transformation in how it delivers public services. A Life Events approach will reorient service design around key moments in people’s lives, with inclusion and accessibility as guiding principles, ensuring no-one is left behind. Responsible, transparent use of AI will play a growing role in public service delivery.
Key deliverables include:
- Digital Public Services 2030: A commitment to digitalise 100% of key public services by 2030, with 90% consumed online.
- A new AI Advisory Unit for the public service will be established, which will provide advice and technical expertise to Government Departments and Public Sector Bodies to implement AI solutions effectively and efficiently. In addition, a National AI Fellowship programme will embed AI expertise across government. All public servants will be supported to undertake AI training.
- Healthcare digitalisation: The Government will launch a new AI for Care Strategy. The Strategy commits to a national electronic prescribing service by 2028 and the digitisation of Irish healthcare records and information systems by 2032. These commitments seek to accelerate the digital transformation of healthcare in Ireland, thereby satisfying Ireland’s obligations under the European Health Data Space Regulation.
- GovTech 2026: Work on a new GovTech 2026 Challenge Programme is underway. The GovTech Programme aims to build an ecosystem where Government fosters innovation and supports domestic SMEs and startups to address key challenges faced by the public service. A shortlist of public service challenges suitable for GovTech collaboration will provide SMEs and startups with an opportunity to pitch their innovative approaches to specific challenges. Successful bidders will receive funding and mentorship from the relevant public service partner, guiding development through to implementation.
Grow: a digital, innovative and competitive enterprise sector and location of choice for AI
The Government is focused on growing our digital economy, strengthening our position as a location of choice for investment and AI / Digital startups, and establishing Ireland as a global hub for applied AI innovation. The Government notes that Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU during 2026 presents a significant opportunity to increase Ireland’s strategic engagement on the EU’s digital agenda.
Key deliverables include:
- A new AI Office of Ireland The Government has confirmed the planned establishment of a new AI Office of Ireland in 2026, an independent statutory entity which will act as the central coordinating authority for the EU AI Act (previously discussed here). A critical function of the AI Office will be working with key stakeholders, and acting as a focal point for responsible AI innovation and adoption in Ireland. The AI Office will also establish an AI regulatory sandbox to provide a safe supervised environment for innovators to test new digital and AI solutions, in partnership with compliance experts, before market deployment.
- EU AI Act and compliance: The Government will also issue clear and accessible guidance to support organisations’ compliance with the EU AI Act. Further, the Strategy commits Ireland to engaging with the European Commission on additions to the list of prohibited practices under Article 5 of the EU AI Act, in light of growing capabilities of AI.
- AI and digital summit: As part of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency of the Council of the EU, Ireland will host an International AI and Digital Summit on 14 October 2026 in Dublin, to showcase Ireland as a digital and regulatory hub. The Summit will focus on advancing a responsible and competitive AI ecosystem in Europe, and will bring together over a thousand EU and global leaders, Heads of Government, CEOs, investors, innovators and academics under the theme: “Enabling AI to Power European Growth”.
- AI growth and adoption initiatives: The Government will establish Startup Ireland and the National Accelerator Programme in an effort to attract AI and digital startups. Startup Ireland will provide a coordinated framework to boost Ireland’s startup competitiveness, whilst the National Accelerator Programme will reflect the new and evolving needs of founders, and enhance sectoral diversification and international connectivity.
- AI for SMEs: In another effort to drive AI growth among Irish businesses, Enterprise Ireland will be tasked with developing a new AI Adoption Roadmap for its client companies, with appointed AI Sector Champions working with industry and Government. Local enterprises offices and European Digital Innovation Hubs will also support SMEs through advice technical support, training and grants for AI adoption.
- Establishment and expansion of AI bodies: The Observatory for Business AI Readiness (“OBAIR”) will be established, with the purpose of collecting data on the use of AI by enterprise in Ireland and advising the Government on such, in partnership with the National Skills Observatory. Further, the Government will create an AI Research Centre of Scale, expanding CeADAR (Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI) and establish a Quantum Centre of Excellence. An AI in Research transformation programme to support AI skills needs across the economy will also be set up.
Invest: digital and AI infrastructure for a digital Ireland
The Government is committed to investing in secure, resilient and future-proofed digital and AI infrastructure to grow and support Irish enterprises, to enhance quality of life in Ireland and to support Ireland as a location for investment and to enable world-leading RD&I in Ireland. It is also focused on accelerating Ireland’s cybersecurity capacity, skills and adoption to keep pace with the significant increase in cyber-related risks.
Key deliverables include:
- Delivering on digital connectivity targets: The Government has committed to an updated Digital Connectivity Strategy, and rolling out the National Broadband Plan, enabling gigabit broadband connectivity to every premise, and strengthening Ireland’s international connectivity by promoting and facilitating the creation of a new subsea cable connectivity routes from Ireland to Europe.
- Cyber security and national infrastructure: The Government will publish a new Cyber Security Strategy in 2026, including additional investment in the operational capacity of the National Cyber Security Centre (“NCSC”) to monitor, track and identify incidents; establish a new Cyber Security Research Centre of Excellence and provide targeted grant funding for SMEs and NIS2 entities to improve their cyber resilience.
- NIS2 implementation: The Government has committed to prioritising legislation to implement the EU NIS2 Directive in Ireland and prepare for implementation of the EU Cyber Resilience Act.
- Secure use of AI by the public sector: The Government will support the secure use of AI in the public sector, through a national AI Cyber Risk assessment in Q1 2026. The NCSC will also publish updated guidance on the secure use of AI in the public service in Q2 2026 to support the procurement and secure adoption of AI by public bodies, in line with the EU AI Act and NIS2 Directive. In addition, the Government will update the National Cyber Emergency Plan to respond to serious cybersecurity incidents that affect nationally important systems and networks.
Lead: Digital Regulatory Hub and Centre of Expertise
The Government will continue to advocate at EU-level for a balanced, proportionate and coherent approach to digital regulation, which supports competitiveness, innovation and the protection of fundamental rights.
Key deliverables include:
- Supporting the EU’s Digital Simplification Agenda: As a priority of Ireland’s 2026 Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Government has committed to work closely with the European Commission and the European Parliament to advance the EU’s digital simplification package.
- Establishment of a new Criminal Justice International Cooperation Office under the EU eEvidence Package: This Office will provide a cohesive approach to digital regulation in the criminal justice space by centralising the necessary skills and expertise and ensuring a stream-lined regulatory framework based around a single regulator. The Strategy notes that this approach will be further strengthened by the incorporation of other international co-operation instruments, such as the European Investigation Order Directive, into the implementation of the EU e-Evidence Package.
- EU AI Act guidance: The Government has committed to publishing clear and accessible guidance to support compliance with the EU AI Act, as well as a ‘dashboard view’ of the responsibilities assigned to competent authorities designated under the Act.
- Fostering collaboration and coordination across the digital regulatory landscape: The Government has committed to supporting the enhancement of the Digital Regulators Group (“DRG”) in Ireland, and reviewing domestic digital regulatory structures to ensure they are fit for purpose in light of the evolving regulatory landscape. The DRG membership currently comprises Coimisiún na Meán, the Data Protection Commission, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and the Commission for Communications Regulation. The Government will consider the introduction of mechanisms to enable information sharing across DRG members, consistent with the statutory remits of the regulators.
Empower: online safety and skills/talent for a digital economy
Online safety will be a priority for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026, in particular the safety of vulnerable groups, such as children and young people. The Government is supporting Coimisiún na Meán to implement its Online Safety Framework to ensure designated online platforms meet their obligations. New challenges and risks will continue to emerge with the advent of AI, and the Government has committed to ensuring that these are addressed in a timely, robust and comprehensive manner.
The Government has also committed to equipping the workforce with cutting-edge skills and fostering widespread digital skills, as well as building societal trust and literacy.
Key deliverables include:
- Social media ban: Whilst the Strategy does not commit to introducing a social media ban for minors, it states that the Government will work actively with like-minded Member States to explore options to introduce age restrictions. The Government strongly advocates for a decision on the “digital age of majority” to be taken at EU level, and that any decision takes account of the forthcoming report from the European Commission’s expert panel, but will take action domestically if necessary.
- Age verification measures: The Government will continue to support work on robust age verification tools, such as through Ireland’s Digital Wallet, which the Government has committed towards implementing.
- National counter disinformation strategy: The Government will ensure effective implementation of the National Counter Disinformation Strategy (April 2025) through allocation of funding for media literacy, fact-checking expertise, and continued research on disinformation. It will develop a national network of Digital Citizenship Champions to support and implement online safety and digital citizenship education in primary schools.
- Online safety: The Government has committed to ensuring our Online Safety Framework is sufficiently robust to deal with emerging challenges and risks. This includes adequately resourcing the regulators responsible for protecting the public, especially children, with specific emphasis on Coimsiún na Meán’s role in implementing the Online Safety Code. In addition, the Government will progress enhancements to the EU Online Safety Framework in cooperation with Member States, in particular through the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and any resulting proposal for its revision during Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
- A new roadmap for technology skills: The Government has committed to ensuring our skills ecosystem remains responsive and future-focused. It will establish a new National Skills Observatory to analyse market dynamics and skills development across all skills needs, identifying gaps in provision and enabling additional skills initiatives.
Comment
As Tánaiste Simon Harris stated, the Strategy “brings a renewed momentum to digital and AI ambitions across government, ensuring we maximise the opportunities of the digital and AI revolutions, driving continued economic growth and accelerating a transformational change in how government delivers services to the public.”
Implementation of the Strategy will be driven from the centre of Government, reporting to the Cabinet Committee on the Economy, Trade and Competitiveness. This work will be supported by the Senior Officials Group on Digital Issues, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach to enhance coherence across the system. This reflects the priority that the Government places on accelerating progress across its digital agenda.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact any member of our Technology and Innovation Group or your usual Matheson contact.
With thanks to Ben Doyle for his contribution to this article.