How Ireland can capitalise on its connected future and lead on AI
eolas Magazine sits down with Irish-American entrepreneur and Chairman of National Broadband Ireland (NBI), David McCourt, to find out about the progress in NBI’s rollout and the opportunities he sees ahead in Ireland’s connected future.
Q. The Minister of State
Ossian Smyth TD recently pointed to the National Broadband Plan’s success, claiming it was on track to come in on schedule, on budget and deliver greater benefits than originally anticipated. How is the rollout going in your eyes?
A. The Minister is certainly correct – NBI is on schedule, on budget, and our connections surpass not only the original targets but also all other international comparisons. A huge amount of credit must go to the Government and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, in particular.
At NBI, we have over 2,000 talented men and women working tirelessly to complete the rollout as fast and effectively as possible. Today, the project is more than 50 per cent complete with approximately 475,000 premises built or under-construction, over 300,000 premises available to order high-speed broadband on the NBI network and approximately 100,000 homes, farms and businesses connected.
This is truly a transformative infrastructure that brings economic, social, and environmental benefits to communities across Ireland, helping to ensure that no one is left behind in the digital age. Ultimately, NBI will serve over 1.1 million people, stimulating an exciting future not just for rural Ireland but for Ireland INC.
Q. How do you think Ireland’s NBP is viewed by the rest of the world?
A. That is a great question and I think the answer is that it is widely recognised as a blueprint for other ambitious nations to follow. In 2023, Oxford University published a study which forensically analysed more than 16,000 ‘mega’ infrastructure projects from 20 plus different fields in 136 countries and found that 99.5 per cent are delayed, over budget and fail to achieve their original policy objectives. Ireland’s National Broadband Plan sits in the elite 0.5 per cent of global mega projects for being on schedule, on budget, and delivering against the original policy objectives, which is a fact that Ireland can be extremely proud about.
NBI recently hosted representatives from 26 other European nations as part of the European Broadband Competence Offices (BCO) Network, with each delegate grasping the opportunity to share insights and learn from NBI’s experiences.
This is not just about making internet browsing incrementally faster or bringing Netflix to rural areas; it is about fundamentally closing the digital divide that exists in every European country. The stakes are high. Those with a clear strategy have the opportunity to seize economic, social and environmental benefits that will be the envy of every other nation.
Q. We know you are a big advocate for Ireland on the global stage and you have campaigned for the role Ireland could play in writing global AI rules. Tell us about that.
A. Well firstly, artificial intelligence (AI) is the most urgent technological challenge of our times, and its development and adoption are going to accelerate as a result of access to high speed connectivity becoming ubiquitous.
We have never seen potential like it. But we must move quickly to meaningfully frame it in a way that serves our democracy, our society and our vision of humanity.
I believe Ireland is incredibly well placed to lead in shaping the future of this technology. We have a track-record of pioneering policy decisions, we’re soon to be one of the most connected countries in Europe, and we are 16 of the top 20 global tech companies with a major office or HQ here (including OpenAI).
Q. You recently hosted a series of events at Dalkey Book Festival to shed light on some of these issues. What has the reception been?
A. These sessions are part of a worldwide series I am hosting with Columbia University and the reception in Ireland has been phenomenal. We have such a rich talent pool of thought leaders and the respect Ireland holds internationally is critical to driving meaningful change.
Most importantly, my focus is on looking at the positive effects of AI as opposed to the usual stories of gloom and doom. That is not to say that guardrails are not important – they are – but I think Ireland has an opportunity to lead on the opportunities.
I believe it is a civilisation-defining topic, and that is why I am tackling this from multiple angles. In addition to the AI event series, we are shooting a documentary to shine a light on ordinary people doing extraordinary things with AI; I recently accepted an adjunct professorship at UCD to help support the school’s work in AI; and of course, at NBI we are laying the foundations for the connectivity that will give rise to all these new advances in technology. We are living through incredibly exciting times, and you have to stay alert to keep up.
Q. What do you think we should be immediately focused on to make sure advances in AI drive positive outcomes?
A. First, we need a more explicitly stated understanding of what these groups of new technologies, that for simplicity’s sake I am calling AI, can accomplish. Second, we need to continue to work collaboratively internationally on sensible, enforceable regulations.
This may not come from the places it did in the past, such as the US and UK. The political systems of those countries appear to be broken, temporarily at least.
While we wait for them to regenerate and repair themselves, China is relentlessly moving forward. This is a major challenge for the western world. Our escalation of protectionism, tariffs and other trade walls will not really substitute for actual leadership on shaping global standards in areas such as AI.
This is where we in Ireland, in conjunction with our close-working allies, come in. We need global thought leadership around this new world that we are all fast approaching.
The only solution I can see is for small countries like Ireland to take a leadership position and drag the big ones with them.
Visit www.nbi.ie to check whether your home is included in the National Broadband Plan and register to receive Eircode specific updates on the rollout.
