News publishers sound alarm on impact of AI

Publishers worldwide are concerned about the impact of AI on their livelihood as tech companies continue to use their content, without payment or permission, to train their generative AI models. The increased role of AI generated content has the potential to undermine the viability of independent news publishers, which would have catastrophic consequences for our democracy. Without proper controls, transparency and fair payment, the future of the Irish news publishing industry is under threat.  

Read our AI & Irish Journalism Briefing Document for the Joint Oireachtas AI Committee

With the rapid advancement of AI, concerns over copyright issues for the news publishing industry are increasing. Generative AI can easily replicate, modify, and distribute journalistic content, making an increase in copyright infringement, inadvertent or otherwise, a certainty. This poses a significant threat to publishers who invest heavily in creating original and high-quality content. Additionally, there are fears that AI technology could accelerate the spread of misinformation and disinformation – an ever-growing challenge in today’s society.

As an industry, we are not opposed to advancements in AI and actively invest in and embrace cutting-edge technologies, including AI systems and products, which we have been integrating for many years. Generative AI (‘GenAI’) models present unique innovation opportunities, but they also present challenges to journalists, artists, authors, and other creators in terms of the way their creative content is created, distributed, used, and consumed.

Action is needed

To safeguard the future of the Irish media landscape, NewsBrands Ireland is calling for:

EU Leadership: Leveraging Ireland’s upcoming EU Presidency to lead on the implementation of the EU AI Act and ensuring other EU regulations remain fit for purpose. The Presidency presents a strategic opportunity to lead Europe in building AI governance that protects democracy, safeguards creativity, and sustains independent journalism.

Robust Government Action: NewsBrands is calling for the delivery of promises made in the current Programme for Government to support an independent media sector, to ensure AI systems are transparent, accountable, and compliant with copyright and data protection law.

Transparency & Accountability: Technology companies must be mandated to disclose exactly what content they use and how they use it. NewsBrands welcomes the proposed measure in the General Scheme of the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence Bill 2026, which provides for a significant increase in the powers afforded to regulators to monitor, inspect, and require information from big tech companies. This has the potential to allow for proper investigations into what copyrighted material is accessed and how it is used.

Fair Remuneration: Implementation of robust frameworks to ensure publishers are compensated for the use of their intellectual property; fair payment is the price of a sustainable information ecosystem.

Correction of Regulatory Gaps: Addressing the exclusion of media and creative voices from the National AI Advisory Council, which currently lacks representation from the journalism or arts sectors.

As responsible publishers and through our NewsBrands Ireland programmes we already play a role in helping the public to understand the difference between fact-checked, trusted journalism and mis- and disinformation, and in highlighting the dangers of AI-manipulated
and some social media content, particularly for children.

NewsBrands Ireland is committed to working with government, regulators, and industry to help counter misinformation and deepfakes, to improve media literacy and to secure publishers’ rights and the future of quality journalism in Ireland. The time to act is now