Business law firm Mason Hayes & Curran (MH&C) has launched a guide to artificial intelligence and how it is rapidly changing daily life.

The guide gives an overview of how the AI industry is developing in Ireland as well as how EU guidance and regulation is shaping up.

The European Commission is proposing a regulatory environment including key elements such as:

• human agency and oversight,
• technical robustness and safety,
• privacy and data governance as well as transparency.

The EU has also considered whether it will be necessary to create a specific legal status for robots with a view to making them electronic persons with rights and responsibilities.

Commenting on the guide MH&C partner Brian McElligott said: “No doubt some will criticise the EU’s robust legal and ethical approach and say that it will widen the gap between the advances made in the field in the EU and other jurisdictions.

Deep-fake

“But in a world where people are becoming more privacy-savvy and new phenomena such as deep-fake videos are beginning to proliferate, it could well turn out that trust, not speed, is more likely to be the ultimate driver of innovation in this expansive area.”

He said the key is for any organisations using AI or machine learning to ensure that this usage complies with their existing regulatory obligations.

The guide also includes a useful AI jargon buster, decoding terms such as autonomous mode and deep learning. The guide can be downloaded here. 

Sponsor

MH&C is also the sole legal sponsor at the AI Awards, now in their second year.

The awards recognise the best in the Irish artificial intelligence industry with seven award categories.

The awards form part of AI Ireland, a not-for-profit organisation supporting the growth and development of data science, machine learning and AI technology in Ireland.

The closing date for entries is 30 August, to apply visit AIawards.ie