Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to create specific offences for the misuse of an individual’s name, photograph, voice or likeness and to provide for related matters.

I propose to share time with Deputy Ó Cearúil.

The Protection of Voice and Image Bill sets out to make it an offence to publish, distribute or otherwise make public any manipulated or unauthorised use of a person's identity for the purposes of advertising, political messaging, fundraising, influencing public opinion and selling goods and services without the individual's consent. This includes technologies or software designed primarily to replicate somebody's image or voice.

This House will be very much aware that artificial intelligence presents incredible opportunities in healthcare and the provision of public services. I am proud of the fact that, right throughout the programme for Government, there are clear commitments to using AI for the betterment of the wider public and for the digitalisation of public services. However, the risk with any technology is its misuse. In how we all work, we rely on listening to one another's voices and seeing another person's image and we work on the basis of trust. Indeed, our voices, images and likenesses are integral parts of who we are.

This Bill intends to set out a specific individual offence where somebody knowingly exploits a person's name, image, voice or likeness without that person's consent with the intention to deceive or to cause harm. Let us be clear, in that this is not about criminalising deepfakes generally. Some of them are done in a very humorous way. Many will have seen the image of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket. This will not be impacted by the legislation. However, where individuals see their images misused - the Taoiseach, Tánaiste and many well-known personalities have seen their images or voices misused at times - there will be a specific, stand-alone offence. The Bill will also protect a lot of those within the creative industries by ensuring that their intellectual property that has been created by their voices would also be protected.

It is important that we have many more debates on how artificial intelligence is used, both in terms of the Government's AI strategy, entitled "AI - Here for Good: A National Artificial Intelligence Strategy for Ireland", and more widely within society. It is therefore critical that, as well as legislation in this area to protect consumers, there is a programme of education so that people are aware of the challenges of deepfakes and they understand the harm these can cause. It is also essential within this House, along with dealing with it from a legislative perspective - it is welcome we now have a Minister of State for artificial intelligence - that we consider establishing a special committee on artificial intelligence, as I have called for before, to explore all the possibilities. I suggest we set up a programme of education on artificial intelligence for all Members of the Houses so that people understand the possibilities and threats.

The technology companies also have responsibilities, obviously, but the introduction of this Bill is about addressing a growing problem of deepfakes that deliberately set out to harm people and are causing harm.

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