Minister says Ireland has 'robust legislation' in place to deal with AI images
Kenneth Fox
The Minister with special responsibility for AI, Niamh Smyth, said after meeting the Attorney General that Ireland has "robust and effective legislation in place" to deal with the manipulation of photos.
The big tech companies have been invited to attend the Oireachtas media committee on February 4th, and Ms Smyth warned, “it is critically important that they present themselves in front of our legislators”.
In a statement released on Thursday evening, she said: "On Wednesday, I met with Coimisiún na Meán to address serious concerns about AI-generated harmful content on X, including non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material.
"I have urged swift, coordinated action with the EU Commission, including a formal investigation and interim measures to protect citizens across all 27 member states."
She said the protection of the most vulnerable cannot wait. The EU Commission have taken investigative steps in relation to X and its obligations under the DSA, and will now also carefully assess the changes to Grok that X has announced.
“On Thursday, I met with the Attorney General to seek clarity on what constitutes illegal content under Irish and EU law, and following this meeting, I am confident that we have robust and effective legislation in place.
She said under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998, material depicting a person as a child engaged in real or simulated explicit activity, or focused for sexual purposes on genital areas, is illegal.
"Coco’s Law criminalises sharing non-consensual intimate images with the intent to cause harm. The sharing of non-consensual intimate images and any child sexual abuse material is illegal.
"Coimisiún na Meán leads on online safety and platform duties as Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator; An Garda Síochána investigates criminal offences; the Data Protection Commission oversees compliance with GDPR and privacy law; and the European Commission enforces the Digital Services Act," she said.
Ms Smyth said if anyone is concerned about images shared online, they should report it to An Garda Síochána, and said " I encourage users to report illegal content to the online platform where they encountered it and to Coimisiún na Meán."
She said she will be meeting with X on Friday to discuss the issue further.
It comes as earlier on Thursday, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company xAI said late on Wednesday it imposed restrictions on all users of its Grok AI chatbot that limit image editing after the service produced sexualised images that sparked concerns among global regulators.
From Europe to Asia, governments and regulators are cracking down on the sexually explicit content generated by Grok, imposing bans and demanding safeguards in a growing global push to curb illegal material.
"We have implemented technological measures to prevent the Grok account from allowing the editing of images of real people in revealing clothing such as bikinis," the company said in an X post.
