The National AI Meet 2025 will have minister Niamh Smyth opening the third edition and will include speakers from Google, OpenAI. Photo: Getty
As we come to the halfway point of September, Dáil Éireann is back in business, with TDs returning to Leinster House on Wednesday following a two-month break.
In the realm of technology, the Institute of International & European Affairs (IIEA) will host a panel on digital infrastructure on Thursday. This event will bring together people representing government, industry, and academics to discuss how investment and government policy can promote Ireland’s digital infrastructure.
A gathering to discuss artificial intelligence will take place on Thursday evening in Galway. The National AI Meet 2025 will have junior enterprise minister Niamh Smyth opening the third edition and will include speakers from Google, OpenAI, and executives from Irish Rail and Bank of Ireland.
On Tuesday, the Ploughing Championships begins in Tullamore, Co Offaly. This event, which runs until Thursday, is especially important as a showcase for companies involved in agri-tech.
The current iteration of Ireland for Finance expires in 2026, and in line with Programme for Government commitments, the Department of Finance is developing a new strategy for the period 2026-2030. The public consultation period for this ends on Friday.
On the international front, the US Federal Reserve is expected to trim borrowing costs for the first time since December. The change of heart is mainly due to signs of weakness in the jobs market. Data released last Thursday showed US consumer prices rose 2.9pc in August, up from 2.7pc the previous month.
A number of statistical studies are due to be released this week. Today, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is set to provide a report on goods and exports for July, which will be of interest as we wait to see how the Irish economy has handled the first three months of US president Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The CSO will also publish aviation statistics for the second quarter of 2025, detailing passenger numbers, flights, and air freight/mail for all main Irish airports. This will be followed by the Residential Property Price Index for July.
Lastly, the European research organisation Eurostat will provide a news article on asylum applications for June 2025 showing a breakdown of the key details, such as what countries are involved and the numbers of applications taken in.
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