Ireland to become one of the first countries to clamp down on AI deepfakes

Ireland is set to follow Denmark in becoming one of the first countries to clamp down on the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes, Extra.ie has learned.

It comes after the Danish government announced this week plans to change copyright laws to grant people ownership of their voice, body, and facial features.

Sources this weekend said Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan has requested a meeting with his Danish counterpart, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, to discuss ways to strengthen protection against digital imitations of people’s identities.

The Government is increasingly concerned about the use of AI-generated deepfakes in criminal activity.

Irish writers have also lobbied the Coalition amid criticism of tech giant Meta, which has harvested or ‘scraped’ the written works of high-profile authors including Sally Rooney, John Banville and President Michael D Higgins.

A Government source confirmed Minister O’Donovan will meet with Mr Engel-Schmidt in the coming weeks.

They told Extra.ie: ‘The Minister has reached out to his Danish colleague, and he will be meeting him shortly to see what can be done.

‘It sounds quite interesting what Denmark is doing. They [the Danish government] are figuring out ways to deal with this in a way that is effective.’

The source said discussion of what new laws can be introduced here to combat deepfake scammers will be at the top of the agenda.

Culture Minister Patrick O’Donovan. ROLLINGNEWS.IE

The new Danish legislation comes amid some growing concerns across Europe about rapidly developing AI technology that has made it easier than ever to create a convincing fake image, video or sound to mimic the voice or features of another person.

Once approved, the changes to Danish copyright law will give individuals the right to demand that online platforms remove such content if it is shared without consent.

The legislation will also cover ‘realistic, digitally generated imitations’ of an artist’s performance without consent. Violation of the proposed rules could result in compensation for performers who are affected.

The Danish government said the new rules would not affect parodies and satire.

Asked if they supported the introduction of similar legislation and penalties here, a spokesman for Ireland’s media and online safety regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, said: ‘The questions are quite technical… I will have a response on Monday [tomorrow] definitely.’

While Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC), which is responsible for policing tech giants whose European headquarters are based in Dublin, also did not respond to Extra.ie queries asking if similar laws should be introduced in Ireland.

A spokesman would only say: ‘Individuals can complain to the Data Protection Commissioner where they believe their personal data has been breached in some manner.

‘The Data Protection Commission receives complaints from individuals in relation to the processing of their personal data.’

The DPC can also order the removal of online images of people if they have been posted without their consent. It can fine tech companies up to 4% of their global turnover if they refuse to comply with its orders.

However, the DPC has faced criticism at home and abroad for its perceived failure to enforce laws to protect individuals’ data rights from big tech companies.

In January, the European Court of Justice ordered the DPC to pay the legal costs of a doomed case that it took against the European Data Protection Board.

This came after the EU data watchdog criticised a DPC ruling against people who made complaints against Meta and its popular message-sharing platform WhatsApp.

*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.