Charlie McConalogue: Protecting Ireland's Creative Future from AI

Thanks very much, Ciann Comhairle, and thank you at the outset to Deputy O'Snutty for laying this motion before the House today, and also to the many contributors across the House over the course of the debate this evening as well on what is a massively important topic. And it's right, it's only appropriate that it gets attention and time and consideration in this House, and indeed collectively, we work to address the massive challenge that AI can pose to our creative sectors. We're very fortunate to live in a country that has a wonderful cultural heritage, and that our international reputation is built on that in many ways around the world. We have seen over the last short period of time the impact that AI is having on all aspects of our society, and it's really crucial in relation to our creative sector that we do give the time and attention here on the floor of the Dáil to consider how it's impacting on that, and indeed to collectively work in terms of regulation and policy to make sure we're addressing that and harnessing it in a way that is to the benefit of the public and to the benefit of a creative sector, as opposed to something that has the real potential to undermine it. And I want to reiterate the point made by Minister of State, Niamh Smith, and Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, that Ireland is committed to ensuring that AI technologies are developed and used in a manner that is ethical, transparent, and aligned with national, EU, and international law. The protection of copyright is understandably a concern for a creative sector in relation to AI, and consent and remuneration for works used are a basic principle of copyright law. Important steps to protect intellectual property rights in the age of AI are being taken, and these will continue under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. At an EU level, the inclusion of a provision on EU copyright law in the AI Act is an important step. As mentioned, enforcement of the AI Act will begin from August. At the Council of Ministers meeting in May, which was attended by Minister Patrick O'Donovan, it was clear that many Member States acknowledged that more needs to be done, including on copyright and transparency. There are indications that the opt-out mechanism for the text and data mining exception is not working well in practice. Evidence gathered by the Danish Presidency showed some activity is taking place on licensing of works for AI, but it is uneven across Member States and sub-sectors of the creative sector. It is our shared objective that this market develops well, and in a manner which ensures fair remuneration along the value chain for both the cultural and media sectors. We look forward to the outcome of the European Commission's review of the copyright in the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, including the text and data mining exception and the press publisher's right. The Government will consider the findings of the review and consider the effectiveness of Ireland's national legislation transposing the Directive. We also look forward to the next steps by the Commission on possible new measures on licensing and enforcement, as signalled in the call for evidence. As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, we have a valuable opportunity to help shape discussions on the future of Europe's digital and creative economy, including measures needed to support a sustainable, pluralistic and trusted media sector. In terms of broader impacts of AI, the European Commission is currently working on a new strategy, specifically looking at AI and the creative and cultural sector, as set out in the new European Cultural Strategy, the Culture Compass. This will be an opportunity for our sectors to address the challenges and opportunities of this moment of change, and Ireland looks forward to participating in the development of the strategy over the coming months. The Government's new digital and AI strategy highlighted the potential for AI to contribute to job displacement in the creative and cultural sectors, which, like many other sectors in the economy, faces potential disruption. Furthermore, last year's report from the AI Advisory Council on the impact of AI on Ireland's creative sector further stressed the need for public policy to tackle income insecurity for artists and creatives. My Department is continuing to take measures to tackle the precarity of work and promote viable careers in arts and culture, in particular with the rollout of Ireland's basic income for the artists or for arts programme, which we are delighted has now been extended on a permanent basis. Finally, at Ciancórla, under the Culture Council formation, the Irish Presidency is responsible for agreeing the new EU work plan for culture for the years 2027 to 2030. While this is still being negotiated with Member States, it is clear from initial discussions that concrete measures to address the impact of AI on artists and the creative sectors will be further developed through the work plan. So thank you again, Ciancórla, to everyone for their contributions this evening, and thank you to the many artists and representatives from the creative sector as well for their contributions and for ensuring that the real concerns around the impact that AI is having and will have, unless we from a public policy point of view collectively do all we can to protect the sector and protect the integrity of people's creative capacities and indeed the potential impact on income and on viable careers in the arts sector as well. We look forward to working with everyone the House in relation to building on the work that has been done and the much work that is needed to protect what is an integral part of our national life and indeed pretty important as well from a European perspective to work collectively together to protect the sector. Thank you.