Implementing the AI Guidelines: A Practical Workshop for the Public Service

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The Programme

Implementing the AI Guidelines: A Practical Workshop for the Public Service is a one day course, developed by Krisolis for the Institute of Public Administration (IPA). It responds to the evolving need for responsible and informed use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) across the Irish public service. With the release of the Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Irish Public Service, this course is designed to help public service bodies (PSBs) understand and implement the guidelines in a practical and effective way.

Participants will gain practical insights into applying these guidelines when using externally sourced AI tools and when developing internal AI systems. The workshop addresses the broad spectrum of AI maturity in the public sector—from those new to AI to teams already exploring or deploying AI solutions. Through expert-led discussions and interactive case studies, participants will gain the knowledge and tools to navigate the ethical, legal, and operational aspects of adopting AI in their organisations.

Who is this for?

This course is aimed at public service professionals, including:

• Policy makers, compliance officers, and governance professionals
• IT and data professionals working with or evaluating AI systems
• Procurement teams assessing third-party AI tools
• Strategy and transformation teams implementing digital solutions

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the Implementing the AI Guidelines workshop, participants will:

• Understand the Guidelines for Responsible Use of AI in the Irish Public Service and their importance.
• Recognise the ethical considerations and risks of AI deployment.
• Learn how to apply the guidelines to externally sourced AI tools.
• Explore best practices for developing and implementing internal AI systems.
• Gain insights into accountability, transparency, and trust in AI solutions.

Course Content

The Implementing the AI Guidelines workshop is structured around five interactive sessions:

Session 1: Introduction to the AI Guidelines

This session provides an overview of the Guidelines for Responsible Use of AI in the Irish Public Service, highlighting their role in ensuring ethical, fair, and transparent AI adoption. Participants will explore key ethical and legal considerations, such as bias mitigation, privacy protection, and human oversight. Topics covered in this section include:

• AI Overview
• AI Regulation and the EU AI Act
• AI Risks and why the Guidelines are Necessary
• AI in the Public Service
• The importance of AI Literacy and a common lexicon around AI

Session 2: The AI Decision Framework in Action

This session provides a structured approach to evaluating AI solutions within an organizational context. It helps participants understand the key considerations in AI decision-making, from assessing the necessity of AI to selecting the right type of solution while ensuring ethical, inclusive, and strategic implementation. Topics covered in this section include:

• Understanding the key types of AI and their typical applications and use cases
• Selecting Between Free vs. Enterprise AI Solutions
• Inclusivity and Diversity in AI from the Start
• Interactive Group Workshop: "Evaluating AI Solutions for Real-World Scenarios"

Session 3: Responsible Use of AI

Participants will learn how to assess AI solutions adherence to the responsible AI principles, covering the key topics of ‘Human agency and oversight’, ‘Technical robustness and safety’, ‘Privacy and data governance’, ‘Transparency’, ‘Diversity, non-discrimination and fairness’, ‘Societal and environmental well-being’ and ‘Accountability’. The session will cover risks such as algorithmic bias and lack of transparency, along with best practices for evaluating AI solutions. Topics covered in this section include:

• Identifying AI use in your organisation, from BYOAI, through embedded AI capabilities to building or configuring your own AI models
• Regulatory Compliance in AI Solutions
• Risk Identification and Mitigation
• Understanding and Applying the Responsible AI Canvas, what questions to ask, who should be accountable.
• Interactive group workshop: "Evaluating AI Solutions using the responsible AI Canvas"

Session 4: Applying the Guidelines to Internal AI Development

This session provides a structured approach to developing and adopting AI solutions responsibly by following the AI lifecycle. Participants will learn how to integrate fairness, transparency, and accountability at each stage of AI development, ensuring compliance with ethical and regulatory standards. Topics covered in this section include:

• Understanding the AI Model development Lifecycle process and documentation (CRISP-ML)
• Integrating Responsibility into AI Development
• Governance and Ongoing Monitoring
• Interactive group workshop: "Using the AI Lifecycle for Responsible AI Solutions"

Session 5: Case Studies & Interactive Discussion

Participants will examine real-world examples of AI use in the public service and apply the guidelines to practical scenarios. The workshop concludes with an interactive Q&A session and discussion on best practices and challenges in responsible AI adoption.

Other Information

The Implementing the AI Guidelines workshop can be delivered on an in-house basis at a negotiated rate. Please email training@ipa.ie if you would like further information about running this workshop specifically for your organisation. One of our Professonal Development team will then be in contact to determine your specific training requirements and provide you with a quotation.

Course Leader

This course is delivered by Krisolis, in collaboration with the Institute of Public Administration (IPA). The course leaders is Aoife D'Arcy, CEO Krisolis.

Aoife has spent the last 20 years developing data driven solutions and processes for major national and international companies in banking, finance, insurance, gaming, manufacturing and beyond. Aoife has extensive expertise in delivering solutions using techniques from data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence to a wide variety of areas. Aoife also enjoys training and mentoring those in graduate to C-Suite roles. This experience has given Aoife key insights into how organisations can successfully harness the insights available in their own data, and what they need to do to achieve this.

Aoife founded Krisolis in 2009 to pursue her passionate belief in the importance of developing in-house analytics talent in organisations. Aoife works with organisations to help them build world class data science and AI teams and processes through a unique mix of training, consultancy and mentoring.

Aoife is a co-author of the textbook "Fundamentals of Machine Learning for Predictive Data Analytics: Algorithms, Worked Examples & Case Studies" published in 2015 with MIT Press.

Aoife’s qualifications include a M.Sc. Financial and Industrial Mathematics from Dublin City University and an B.Sc. (Honours) Statistics and Computer Science from National University of Ireland, Maynooth.