‘It's about competitiveness' – Government ‘considering' ChatGPT rollout to schools
It comes as almost three in four secondary school students admit using the technology.
The move would follow Estonia, which announced a rollout of ChatGPT in September to 20,000 secondary school students and 3,000 teachers, with another 38,000 students and an extra 3,000 teachers joining the scheme in September 2026.
Under the EU's AI Act, Irish teachers are already required to undergo AI literacy training.
Senior officials from OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, met this week with Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Enterprise Ministers Peter Burke and Niamh Smyth.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, chief financial officer Sarah Friar said that the proposed rollout would be an 'enterprise' deployment, controlled by schools and teachers. She said that Ireland has expressed keen interest in deploying the technology.
'They understand that it's about competitiveness,' she said.
'They're receptive.'
A recent Studyclix survey of 1,300 Irish secondary students claimed that 71pc now use ChatGPT or alternative AI software, with almost two in three using it for school-related work.
A spokesperson for the Teachers' Union of Ireland said that it had received no consultation to date on the issue and that secondary school teachers would need substantial training before any such rollout.
'While we have no position on particular platforms, our general position on AI has been that every effort must be made to optimise the potential benefits and protect against the risks that it presents to the education system,' the spokesperson said.
'A survey of our members earlier this year showed a growing concern at a lack of adequate guidelines and training on AI.'
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A spokesperson for the Department of Education declined to comment.
Some Irish second-level principals have expressed concern over AI in schoolwork.
Last month, the principal of the Cork city-based secondary school Coláiste Éamonn Rís warned of a 'flood' of AI-generated project work.
'You've got to do reform with consultation and the people you need to consult with are the teachers, because they're the people on the ground,' said Aaron Wolfe.
According to OpenAI, 28pc of Irish people now use ChatGPT at least once a week, a figure described by the tech giant as 'low' compared to other EU countries.
'We have an incredible deal with Estonia, where they're putting ChatGPT in for secondary school students,' said Ms Friar.
'The UK government's using ChatGPT to create lesson planning.'
The company says that such educational deployments are aimed at making ChatGPT 'as fundamental as the internet' to schools.
'ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for students globally to personalise their education and advance their personal development,' the company said this year when announcing its Estonian school rollout.
'Most ChatGPT users – nearly four in five – are under the age of 35 and the majority of conversations are focused on learning and schoolwork.
'By supporting AI literacy programmes, expanding access to AI, and developing policies to make AI training accessible and affordable, we can ensure students will be better equipped as the workforce of the future.'
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