Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 7 May 2026
61. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport his plans to avail of the opportunity of Ireland’s Presidency of the European Union to draw attention to the cultural sector, particularly in the context of challenges posed by artificial intelligence; if he will organise a conference during the Presidency on this issue; and if he plans to engage with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. [33401/26]
View answerIreland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December this year. This is an important opportunity for Ireland to lead and shape the European agenda, and my Department is committed to supporting the whole-of-Government effort to deliver a successful Presidency.
Policy on the impact of Artificial Intelligence is led by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Minister of State Niamh Smyth is responsible for Trade Promotion, Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation. As Minister of Culture I am of course, conscious of the concerns of the creative and cultural sector on the issue, not least in terms of potential for job displacement, the need to ensure transparency in the use of artists’ works in A.I. models, as well as the potential opportunities for the sector in adopting new technologies.
Copyright is an important area where culture and artificial intelligence interact. This is also the policy responsibility of the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. A Copyright Conference, which will include the topic of AI, will be held during the Presidency under the auspices of that Department. At present the European Commission is conducting a review of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive, including the text and data mining (TDM) exception in that Directive which is widely understood as applying to training of AI models. The cultural and creative sector report experiencing practical challenges in enforcing their rights related to the operation of the opt out under the TDM exception and transparency of data used in training models. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment have indicated that the review is expected to be published and discussed during the Irish Presidency.
Ireland will use the Presidency to support the culture sector, including, for example, engaging with the European Parliament to begin negotiations on new EU culture and media funding proposals; developing with the Council the EU Work Plan for Culture 2027-2030; and bringing forward plans for the next European Capitals of Culture legal framework.
Strengthening online safety for children will also be a key priority for me during the Presidency. As part of this work, my Department will hold a Presidency Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People, bringing together policymakers, industry, academia, non-government representatives and children and young people to discuss key issues around online safety.
