Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026

Summary

Ireland's law giving effect to the EU AI Act through a distributed model in which existing sectoral regulators act as market surveillance authorities. It establishes Oifig IS na hÉireann (the AI Office of Ireland) as an independent statutory body that coordinates them, acts as single point of contact and gives access to technical expertise. Market surveillance authorities get an enforcement toolkit running from compliance notices to prohibition, seizure, fines and prosecution, with independent adjudication and court oversight, and the Central Bank Act 1942 and the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 are amended so that AI Act sanctions can be imposed.

Safety topics

Status notes

Signed into law on 21 Jul 2026 as Act No. 31 of 2026, with 10 Parts, 139 sections and 4 schedules. S.I. No. 403 of 2026 brought the Act into operation on 31 Jul 2026, except paragraphs (a) and (e) of the definition of 'applicable market surveillance authority' in section 78, which name Coimisiún na Meán and the Data Protection Commission for the adjudication and administrative fines scheme of Part 6. S.I. No. 404 of 2026 appointed 31 Jul 2026 as the establishment day of Oifig IS na hÉireann, while the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment's EU AI Act page gives 2 Aug 2026 as the date the AI Office was established. Paul Byrne, previously of the Medical Council, is the Office's first CEO, and its board has held its inaugural meeting. The government said further legislation, including amendments arising from the Digital Omnibus on AI, would be brought forward in autumn 2026. Nine public authorities identified under Article 77 of the AI Act have powers to access AI Act documentation from 2 Aug 2026; they are not competent authorities under the AI Act.

Sources

Open the official source https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2026/act/31/enacted/en/pdf

Secondary source: https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/what-we-do/innovation-research-development/artificial-intelligence/eu-ai-act/

Local copy

Verification

History

1. 2026-10-18official_url: https://aioffice.gov.ie/news-and-updates/ai-office-of-ireland-established-under- → https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2026/act/31/enacted/en/pdf — the record pointed at the AI Office's news item, an announcement; the Act as enacted (Irish Statute Book, ELI) is now stored and becomes official_url (rule 7c)2026-10-18-refresh-level-rule-1 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
2. 2026-10-17notes: Signed into law on 21 Jul 2026 (10 Parts, 139 sections, 4 schedules). The AI Off → Signed into law on 21 Jul 2026 as Act No. 31 of 2026, with 10 Parts, 139 section — the remark that the Act number and commencement were not verified is research-process language and is gone; the board meeting date (8 Sep 2026) was removed because no stored file gives it; the commencement order, the uncommenced paragraphs of section 78, the establishment-day order and its difference from the Department's 2 Aug 2026 date were added2026-10-17-recheck-europe-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
3. 2026-10-17summary: Ireland's law implementing the EU AI Act through a distributed model, in which e → Ireland's law giving effect to the EU AI Act through a distributed model in whic — expanded from the stored news item: adds the enforcement toolkit and the amendments to the Central Bank Act 1942 and the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (the long title also lists the Communications Regulation Act 2002 and the Freedom of Information Act 2014)2026-10-17-recheck-europe-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
4. 2026-10-17official_identifier: – → No. 31 of 2026 — set from the stored Act: Number 31 of 20262026-10-17-recheck-europe-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)
5. 2026-10-17date_in_force: 2026-08-02 → 2026-07-31 — changed from 2026-08-02 to 2026-07-31: S.I. No. 403 of 2026 brings the Act into operation on 31 July 2026; 2 Aug 2026 was the Department's date for the AI Office's establishment, not the Act's commencement2026-10-17-recheck-europe-2 · Claude Code (claude-opus-5-5)

Related records

EU AI Act European Union · Partially in force

Citation

Oireachtas (Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment). Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Act 2026 [No. 31 of 2026]. 2026-07-21. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2026/act/31/enacted/en/pdf. Status: Partially in force; verified 2026-10-18 (level A). Local copy archive/IE-01/2026-10-18/official.pdf retrieved 2026-10-18 06:48:05 UTC, SHA-256 ee7e5819f2e85e1997f130140b0d3ee0fbdab4f0872e5d69c995ce9d89f58bbb. Every AI Policy Ever, version 1.18 (snapshot 2026-10-18), record IE-01.

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