DPC sought €4 million boost in funding as it contends with AI getting trained on personal data and intellectual property

The Data Protection Commission (DPC) asked for an extra €4 million in funding to hire new staff and manage potential fallout from AI (artificial intelligence) being trained using people’s personal information.

The DPC said it was facing an uphill battle in hiring suitably qualified employees especially for legal and technology roles while competing with the private sector.

In a pre-budget submission, the DPC said its role was becoming ever “more complex” due to the impact of AI and other fast-developing technologies.

It also said there was a growing expectation on them of “proportionate, timely and effective enforcement” in dealing with big tech companies and others.

In a letter to the Department of Justice in July, the DPC said it was looking for a €32.4 million budget for 2025 which included an extra €2.8 million for pay and just over €1.2 million for non-pay expenditure.

However, the allocation announced in Budget 2025 ended up being €29 million.

Their pre-budget plea said: “There is a heightening weight of expectation from individuals, organisations, peer regulators, legislators and governments across the EU that the DPC must regulate effectively and consistently in a fast-evolving digital world.”

It said artificial intelligence was already presenting challenges as personal data was “prevalent in the development, training, and deployment of AI applications.”

The letter added that while a new AI Act was awaited from government, it was up to them for now to regulate the personal information aspect of the technology.

The DPC said the extra €4 million would allow them to make progress in “clearing older large-scale cross border inquiries.”

They pointed to a “growing caseload” and constantly evolving technology, all of which created “significant challenges for the protection of personal data.”