More than 60% do not trust Govt to be unbiased in AI use

A significant majority of people in Ireland, over 60%, do not believe the government can ensure fair and unbiased treatment when using artificial intelligence. This figure is substantially higher than the OECD average of 39%, according to the OECD's Trust Survey 2025. The survey, conducted by the CSO, also revealed widespread concern about data protection, with 72% of respondents lacking confidence in the government's ability to safeguard personal information from unauthorized access or misuse in its future AI applications. This contrasts sharply with the OECD average of 44%.

Furthermore, nearly half of those surveyed, 49.8%, expressed doubt about the government's capacity to leverage AI for cost reduction. While 30% are confident in the government's ability to maintain human oversight and final decision-making in critical areas involving AI, overall public sentiment in Ireland regarding government AI use is less positive than the OECD average.

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The AI questions were added in 2025 with a recognition that expectations and perceptions of the role of artificial intelligence in the public sector is of interest with respect to trust in institutions.

The survey, which included new questions on AI for its third edition, also explored public familiarity with the term. Over half of respondents, 56%, reported understanding AI well enough to explain it. Notably, men (63.7%) were more likely than women (49.1%) to claim understanding, and younger individuals (81.7% of 18-29 year olds) showed greater familiarity than older age groups (37.8% of those 50 and above).

Beyond AI, the survey indicated a general decline in trust. The proportion of people who "trusted most people" fell to 78.7% in 2025 from 82.5% in 2023. Trust in national government also decreased to 43.8% from 46.6% in 2023, although it remains slightly above the OECD average of 40%. Trust in political parties remained stable around 27.4%, while trust in international organizations dropped from 63.7% to 57.4%.

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Overall, when it comes to trust, our analysis shows that a higher percentage of respondents had trust in most people when compared with trust in other institutions that were included in the survey.