Ireland publishes sweeping Digital and AI Strategy 2030 with new AI Office and national skilling push

Government sets 90 deliverables across public services, enterprise AI adoption, online safety, and workforce training as it positions Ireland as a European AI regulatory and innovation hub.

Ireland has published a new National Digital and AI Strategy, committing to 90 specific deliverables by 2030, including a one-stop AI skilling platform, a new AI Office of Ireland, AI toolkits for teachers, and proposals to introduce age restrictions on social media for under-16s.

The strategy, titled Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future, sets out how the Government intends to digitalize 100 percent of key public services, expand AI adoption across enterprise, and strengthen Ireland’s role as an EU regulatory hub for digital policy. For EdTech and workforce providers, the most immediate signals are around national AI training infrastructure, teacher CPD, and online safety measures that could directly affect schools.

Micheál Martin, Taoiseach, says: “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. ‘Digital Ireland – Connecting our People, Securing our Future’ sets out how we will reinforce Ireland’s position as a digital leader and regulatory hub, strengthening our profile as a location for investment and a global hub for Applied AI.

"We want all areas of the economy and society to benefit from digital and AI technologies – helping businesses to grow, improving our public services and ensuring everyone has the skills to succeed in a digital and AI-driven economy and society. Ireland will continue to be a strong voice in Europe for a digital economy which supports competitiveness and innovation, while protecting data privacy and fundamental rights.”

National AI skilling platform and labor market intelligence

At the center of the workforce agenda is a new online one-stop-shop AI Skilling Platform for employers and individuals, backed by a nationwide Digital and AI skilling campaign. The strategy also proposes a National Skills Observatory to track labor market dynamics and AI-related skills needs, alongside an Observatory for Business AI Readiness to measure enterprise AI adoption.

The language around disruption is direct. The strategy acknowledges potential job displacement from AI and states that government will support workers through “agile, accessible and fit-for-purpose upskilling and reskilling opportunities.”

In the foreword, Martin writes: “We recognise that technological advancements will inevitably bring disruption, and we will support workers to navigate the impacts of potential job displacement, including through agile and accessible skills supports.”

For the EdTech sector, the signal is that AI skills policy is moving toward structured national infrastructure rather than fragmented initiatives, with measurement mechanisms built in.

AI toolkits for teachers and tighter online safety stance

The strategy includes AI toolkits and CPD for teachers, alongside a commitment that all learners will acquire foundational digital, digital literacy, and media literacy skills across curricula at all levels.

Online safety is positioned as a priority across the document, particularly for children and young people. The Government states it will work with like-minded EU Member States to explore options to introduce age restrictions on social media, “concentrating, in particular, on those under sixteen years of age,” while also advocating for a decision on the “digital age of majority” at EU level.

Plans also include developing awareness and skills resources to support online safety in schools and establishing a national network of Digital Citizenship Champions.

Simon Harris, Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, says: “Digital Ireland brings a renewed momentum to our 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.

"The government will ensure that all of society is empowered to thrive in a digital world, and we will protect the most vulnerable, in particular our children and young people, from online harm.”

AI Office of Ireland and regulatory expansion

On governance, the strategy proposes a new AI Office of Ireland as the central coordinating authority for implementation of the EU AI Act, alongside an AI Regulatory Sandbox.

It also sets out plans to enhance regulator resourcing, strengthen the Digital Regulators Group, and establish a Criminal Justice International Cooperation Office under the EU eEvidence Package.

The Government frames Ireland as both a digital innovation hub and a regulatory center of excellence, linking national AI ambitions to its upcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026, during which it plans to host an International AI and Digital Summit.

Infrastructure commitments include expanding high-performance computing capacity, participation in the EuroHPC AI Factory ecosystem, strengthening subsea cable connectivity, and establishing a new Cyber Security Research Centre of Excellence.

Séan Canney, Minister of State, says: “Digital and AI technologies offer unprecedented opportunities for businesses and our economy, for our public services and for our people. Investment in the National Broadband Plan and further roll-out of digital infrastructure will enable all parts of the country to benefit from these opportunities. Through Digital Ireland, we will ensure an agile, responsive, and supportive approach, so that everyone has the skills, literacy, and trust needed, and the opportunity to engage confidently, fully, and safely in a digital world, where no one is left behind.”

The strategy is detailed and expansive. The immediate test will be delivery: whether the AI skilling platform, teacher toolkits, regulatory structures, and safety measures move quickly from policy commitments into funded programs and operational rollouts.

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