Ireland Publishes General Scheme for Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026

Summary

Ireland has published the General Scheme of the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026, establishing the statutory AI Office of Ireland to oversee EU AI Act implementation. The Bill introduces a National Register for high-risk AI, creates regulatory sandboxes for SMEs, and defines enforcement mechanisms involving High Court oversight.

The Department of Enterprise Tourism and Employment has published the General Scheme of the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026, advancing Ireland's implementation of the EU AI Act.

The new legislation establishes a federated model of regulation, leveraging existing sectoral regulators while creating a centralised AI Office of Ireland to oversee compliance and enforcement.

Development of the AI Office

The Bill establishes Oifig IS na hÉireann (AI Office of Ireland) as a statutory body tasked with ensuring the consistent application of the EU AI Act.

The Office’s primary functions include:

A Chief Executive Officer, reporting to an independent seven-member Board, will lead the new Office.

Regulatory Registers and Sandboxes

The AI Office will maintain a National Register to track high-risk AI systems (Annex III) and prohibited AI practices defined in Article 5 of the EU Act.

To support innovation, the Bill mandates the creation of national regulatory sandboxes. These supervised testing environments will prioritise access for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), allowing them to develop and test compatible systems before market release.

Enforcement and Penalties

The Bill officially designates additional Market Surveillance Authorities (MSAs) and clarifies their enforcement powers.

Two key enforcement mechanisms are introduced:

Legislative Timeline

The legislation aims to meet the implementation deadlines of the EU AI Act. The Annex to the Heads of Bill notes that the AI Office and national competent authorities must be fully operational by August 2, 2026.

Regulators note that the Bill’s progression may still be influenced by the EU's Digital Omnibus Proposals, which seek to streamline GDPR, Key Digital Services Act, and NIS2 frameworks.

Sources:

Department of Enterprise

About the Author: