Coimisiún na Meán has told the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence (AI) that tougher laws relating to AI-generated deepfake sexual imagery could be useful.
In his opening address to the committee, Coimisiún na Meán Executive Chairperson Jeremy Godfrey said that the issue of non-consensual AI-generated imagery potentially engages legal obligations beyond the current framework of online safety laws.
Under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), risk assessments are required when an AI system is integrated into a very large online platform or search engine, and when a system meets the definition of a “general purpose AI” system under the AI Act.
Mr Godfrey told committee members that it is worth considering whether to supplement these requirements.
“For instance, it could be useful to make it a prohibited practice to deploy AI systems that are capable of producing intimate imagery of real people without their consent, or which are capable of producing child sex abuse material,” he said.
“It may also be useful to widen the scope of “high-risk systems” under the AI Act to include a wider range of chatbots and generative AI tools,” according to the opening statement.
Mr Godfrey also said that while we have begun to see companies making changes to make their platforms safer, the changes have not yet been sufficient and new types of harm, especially harms related to AI, have emerged.
The committee is examining issues around images, deepfakes and consent, in the wake of the Grok controversy which saw users deploying the AI tool to generate sexualised images of adults and children.
The meeting is also hearing from the Data Protection Commissioner Dr Des Hogan.
Last week, the DPC announced an investigation into X, the parent company of Grok, over the generation and sharing of sexualised images.
In his opening address, Dr Hogan told the committee that, as with all its inquiries, it is the DPC’s intention to conduct a thorough, swift and fair inquiry into the matter.
He also said it is essential that the DPC remains appropriately resourced and fully equipped to meet its regulatory objectives.
“Regulators such as the DPC require sustained support from Government as new responsibilities increase workloads,” Dr Hogan stated.
“This is vital if Ireland is to maintain its global standing as a digital regulatory hub while fully discharging our obligations as leading EU regulators,” he added.
The hearing is also being attended by representatives from Google.
“Our meeting this week will focus the online harms that have become apparent in recent months with misinformation, disinformation and harmful non-consensual material being circulated online,” said Committee Cathaoirleach Malcolm Byrne.
“The committee looks forward to engaging with the regulatory bodies and our tech representative Google on how best to move forward and improve online safety for our democracy,” Mr Byrne said.