DPC report highlights significant increase in AI-related supervisory activity

New research published by the Technology Multinational Supervision Unit at the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) emphasises the need for greater transparency and clearer standards for training artificial intelligence (AI) models.

The report identifies a substantial rise in regulatory engagements, largely driven by the rapid growth of generative AI across systems such as large language models (LLMs) and recommender systems. The findings stress that technical innovation and strict data protection standards are not mutually exclusive. Through these interventions, the DPC Supervision Function secured material compliance gains across lawful basis, transparency, data minimisation, and child safety safeguards.

Critical areas of regulatory focus highlighted in the research include the reliance on legitimate interests as a legal ground for model training, alongside the enforcement of robust transparency over complex, opaque data processing activities. 

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