John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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215. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment to outline the steps being taken, or envisaged, to protect the 'rip-off' of copyright by AI tools in areas such as, but not exclusive to, music and the arts generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25003/25]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I fully recognise the vital importance of protecting the rights of creators in the face of rapid advances in artificial intelligence. My Department is committed to ensuring that Irish copyright law continues to support innovation while upholding the rights of those whose work fuels our creative industries.

In Ireland, the legal landscape concerning the use of copyrighted works for AI training involves several considerations. The Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 (as amended) provides robust protection for copyrighted works. As an EU Member State, Ireland has implemented the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, transposed by S.I. No. 567/2021, which introduced a Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception that allows commercial companies to use copyrighted material under certain conditions unless rightsholders explicitly opt out. This exception requires works to be lawfully accessible.

Ireland and the EU are currently implementing the AI Act (Regulation (EU)2024/1689), which includes provisions related to general-purpose AI that will enter into force on 2 August. Once in force, these provisions will require general purpose AI providers must document technical information about the model for the purpose of providing that information upon request to the AI Office and national competent authorities. They must also put in place a policy to comply with Union law on copyright and related rights and draw up and make publicly available a sufficiently detailed summary about the content used for training the model.

My Department engages with industry representatives, and artists, are we are actively involved in EU and international discussions to balance technological innovation with the protection of creators' rights. Our aim is to position Ireland as a global leader in leveraging AI for economic and societal benefits while ensuring its ethical, people-centred development and use.