Ireland’s new artificial intelligence (AI) body will be chaired by a former senior civil servant from the Department of the Taoiseach, the Government announced on Wednesday, a week after establishing the new organisation.Oifig IS na hÉireann (the AI Office of Ireland) is tasked with co-ordinating the implementation of the EU’s AI regulations, which came into force on a phased basis in 2024.The Coalition said last week that the body, which will also “drive AI innovation and adoption across Ireland”, will be led by chief executive Paul Byrne. He joins the office from the Medical Council of Ireland, where he served as executive director of education, innovation and artificial intelligence. On Wednesday, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced that Mary Doyle, a former senior civil servant, will chair the AI Office’s board. Doyle, who previously held assistant or deputy secretary general roles at the departments of the Taoiseach, health, and education, is currently a board member at the Wheel, a representative body for the charity sector in the Republic.“AI presents enormous opportunities to enhance public services, support economic growth and improve people’s lives,” Doyle said.“Realising those opportunities requires a governance framework that promotes innovation while maintaining public trust and protecting fundamental rights.”Doyle is joined on the seven-person board by Dr Michelle Kearney, a principal officer at the Department of Enterprise, and chartered accountant Donal Rooney, who currently serves as a non-executive board member at Enterprise Ireland.From academia, Trinity College Dublin law professor Deirdre Byrne and Alan Smeaton, emeritus professor of computing at Dublin City University, have also joined.Dr Alessandra Sala, senior director of AI and data science at global media company Shutterstock, and Siobhan Noble, chief data and AI officer at Irish fund services group Carne, are the other appointees. “The board will provide leadership and oversight to support the office in its role as Ireland’s central co-ordinating authority for AI regulation under the EU AI Act,” Minister for Enterprise, Peter Burke said in a statement. Across Europe, new elements of the legislation came into force earlier this week as part of the phased roll-out of the framework. The rules require companies to tell customers when they are interacting with AI systems and to identify AI-generated images, audio and video. The European Commission can also now begin to fine and penalise companies that fail to comply with the Act.