Politics · United Kingdom · 4 hrs ago
Ireland does not expect AI to displace public service workers
Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the government does not expect AI to displace public service workers.
He said AI could change roles, lead to redeployment or create new kinds of work in the public service.
Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers went on strike for 24 hours over a pay dispute.
The strike took place as the government hosted an international AI summit in Dublin during Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The IMF has warned that 40% to 60% of jobs in advanced economies may be exposed to AI, from being improved to being eliminated.
The Irish government is offering training to thousands of workers and says some groups may be more vulnerable to job losses.
The government plans to work with unions and other stakeholders and use an AI Cabinet subcommittee to monitor training and vulnerable sectors.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Government does not expect AI to displace workers in the public service.
He said AI could change roles and lead to redeployment or new roles.
The Government is offering training to thousands of workers considered exposed to AI.
Martin said the Government is bringing trade unions and other stakeholders together to discuss AI’s effects on work.
The remarks came as hundreds of thousands of public sector workers staged a nationwide strike over pay.
- Who
- Taoiseach Micheál Martin and public sector workers.
- What
- Martin said the Government does not envisage AI displacing public service workers, though it expects work to change.
- When
- Wednesday, the date of the strike; the article was published on 14 October 2026.
- Where
- At an AI summit in Dublin; the strike was nationwide in Ireland.
- Why
- Martin said AI could change roles and lead to redeployment or new roles rather than job losses.
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- Public service jobs
- The Government does not envisage AI-driven displacement
- Strike
- Hundreds of thousands of public sector workers
- Strike duration
- 24 hours
- AI summit
- Dublin
- Training
- The Government is offering training to thousands of exposed workers
What people are saying
Certainly, within the public service, we’re not envisaging that.
What we are envisaging is there will be a transformative impact, but very often that can be mean changing of roles, redeployment, assuming new roles within the public service – so, we’re not necessarily looking at displacement.
We’re bringing in trade unions and other stakeholders to create a forum to discuss this because – in some instances, some work functions may not survive AI – but other additional work functions will come.
But what you do is you get there, train them, be ahead of the curve, and that’s what the State is at right now.