Policymakers, legal experts, rights holders and representatives from across Europe’s creative industries gathered in Dublin today for a major conference examining how copyright and human creativity can be protected in the age of artificial intelligence.
“Copyright & Human Creativity in the Age of AI”, jointly organised by NewsBrands Ireland and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, focused on the need for effective copyright enforcement, fair licensing of copyrighted works and greater trust, accountability and transparency around the use of creative content by AI.
Coinciding with the International AI Summit in Dublin, the conference brought together speakers from across the news media, music, publishing, film and wider creative sectors, alongside policymakers and legal experts, to consider how innovation can be supported while ensuring that human creativity continues to be recognised, protected and rewarded.
Keynote speakers included Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Peter Burke TD; European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security & Democracy Henna Virkkunen; and Professor Eleonora Rosati, one of Europe’s leading experts on copyright and intellectual property law. The conference was moderated by Daniel McConnell, Editor of the Business Post.
The conference explored key questions at the heart of the copyright and AI debate, including how we can build trust around the use of AI; develop a fair and robust market for licensing copyrighted works; and ensure that copyright protections can be effectively enforced. Panels examined the implications of AI for affected sectors and consider how to support innovation while properly recognising and rewarding creative work.
Ann-Marie Lenihan, CEO of NewsBrands Ireland, said:
“Supporting innovation should not come at the expense of intellectual property rights. News publishers invest significantly in trusted, high-quality journalism that informs the public and supports a healthy democracy. A fair and transparent licensing market can ensure that journalism and other creative content is properly valued and compensated for, while enabling continued innovation in AI. At a time when mis- and disinformation can spread rapidly across digital platforms and through AI-generated content, protecting the visibility and viability of trusted journalism has never been more important.”
Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment Burke said:
“As a major hub for technological enterprises, Ireland is keen to embrace innovation, including the AI revolution. However, as a government, we have a responsibility to respect and protect our creative sectors, whether that be music, journalism, literature, film or the many other cultural pursuits for which Ireland is famous. This is why regulations around copyright and intellectual property are so crucial to maintaining the health of the creative economy. I would like to thank NewsBrands Ireland and the Irish Recorded Music Association for organising this conference as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. The conference comes at an important time as we consider how best to address these challenges at EU level, including potentially through new measures to facilitate licensing of copyrighted content and assist rights holders to enforce their rights.”
IRMA Head of Public Affairs and Communications, David Kitching, said:
“Irish music is a global success story, with real social, cultural and economic value. We see during the EU Presidency how readily we turn to music and our cultural heritage to showcase Ireland on the international stage. In the age of AI, there is an onus on us to protect this culture, through full and robust enforcement of our copyright laws. AI must operate within a framework that respects the law and values human creativity. IRMA is proud to collaborate with NewsBrands Ireland in facilitating such a constructive and ambitious discussion.”
For further details, please see: https://copyrightconference.ie/
