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As part of Ireland’s National AI Strategy to develop and utilise Artificial Intelligence in various arenas of society, a Top Team on Standards for AI was established, led by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).

The pilot AI Top Team programme was conceived in 2019 under the Future Jobs Ireland plan, an ambitious, medium-term framework to create a sustainable, resilient and future-oriented economy in Ireland by 2025.

What are Top Teams?

Top Teams have been considered where a multi-organisational response to accelerate sectoral growth and remove barriers to development is required. Artificial Intelligence being a transformational and pervasive technology, a Top Team was envisaged to bring the knowledge and experience of Industry, Academia and Society together to further responsible and beneficial use of AI in Ireland.

Membership comprised of AI experts who had been invited by NSAI to participate. These experts contributed their time freely, on a voluntary basis for the benefit of Irish society and Irish industry in the dawning age of AI. 

Top Teams was comprised of four Working Groups:

  • Multi-national companies
  • Small and Medium sized Enterprises, Start-ups and indigenous Irish companies
  • Research and academia
  • Legal affairs

Each Working Group, assisted by NSAI staff, deliberated over several sessions and in spite of limitations of Covid and working restrictions applicable at the time, worked with effective collaboration and provided its summary to NSAI organising team. 

The report then went through a process of merge and alignment of findings of all four groups to create two documents.

What did the Top Team create?

The Top Team outlined a roadmap of Artificial Intelligence Standards and Certification. The roadmap was furnished with the Standards that are currently available and published, also including the Standards that are known to be in development at the time of publication. It also made suggestions for increasing Ireland’s international leadership in AI Standards development and enhance standards-enabled impact. Click the link and download this part of Top Teams work: AI Standards & Assurance Roadmap

The Top Team on Standards for AI also helped suggest enablers for the direction set out in the National AI Strategy and focussed on increasing Ireland's capability in developing AI as well as assisting enterprises to use AI to improve their products and services. This part of Top Teams work is available to download: Paper outlining the deliberations of the TOP TEAM ON STANDARDS IN AI supporting the ongoing implementation of the National AI Strategy.

The two outputs of Top Teams on AI have been shared with Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and all participants. NSAI is thankful to all its stakeholders for making this endeavour a success.