Speech delivered by the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, at the Presidency Associated Conference ‘Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI’.
Irish Film Institute, Dublin, 14 October 2026
Vice-Minister Radzevičienėof Lithuania, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, it’s an honour and a pleasure for me to be with you today to bring this Presidency Associated conference to a close.
Ireland has long been renowned around the globe for its creative talent – for our authors and poets, our musicians and songwriters, our actors and our filmmakers. Our creators capture the very essence of who we are and distil the stories and melodies that make us laugh, make us cry, and help us to make sense of the world around us.
What gets less attention is the importance of the creative and cultural sector to our economy. It might surprise some to know that this sector accounts for over 6% of businesses in the EU, while also being an important employer, as well as a source of innovation.
On the other hand, it is almost impossible to quantify the societal value of the sector. A thriving news sector is essential for our democracy to function effectively, is a prime example. As misinformation, disinformation and uninformed debate proliferate online, trusted sources of news and information are increasingly valuable.
Copyright is the bedrock of the sector. From U2, the iconic Dublin band that marked its 50-year anniversary by playing on Grafton Street recently, to upcoming artists, from playwrights to software developers, from illustrators to our gaming industry: copyright is the foundation which allows them to thrive. It allows for those who work in these sectors to earn the living that allows them to continue to create. Intellectual property it is designed to rewards innovation – to value the intangible creations of the human mind.
We have heard your concerns articulated today –
- That copyrighted works are being used without permission or compensation;
- That rightsholders are struggling to enforce their rights – to declare an opt out in practice and to know if their works have been used in AI;
- That AI-generated content is directly competing with human made content;
- That there is an erosion of trust in the authenticity of images, of information, of music – calling us to question what we see and hear.
Copyright law has evolved in response to many technological advances over the centuries. Some over you may have heard of the 6th century copyright dispute in Ireland, between two monks. Saint Colmcille, one of our most famous saints, secretly copied a manuscript of psalms from Saint Finian. The ensuing dispute was adjudicated by the High King of Ireland who famously ruled, ‘To each cow its calf, to each book its copy’ – declaring that St Colmcille must return the copy to St Finian.
Our copyright laws are considerably more nuanced now – but the tensions between rewarding creativity, protecting property, and supporting innovation and the public interest remain. And new technologies can upset this balance.
Generative artificial intelligence is a powerful technological wave in its size and speed – there is no doubt about it. It is different to other technological advances in that by generating content, it challenges the very essence of human creativity, the title of today’s conference. It is also stretching the meaning of long-established legal concepts.
Yet we need legal certainly for the benefit of both creators and AI developers. This is a condition for innovation and investment.
As the European Commission reviews the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive and looks ahead to potential targeted measures, including in relation to generative AI, our shared vision is this: a thriving market for licensing of content for AI uses with fair remuneration along the value chain.
Ladies and gentlemen, I strongly believe that AI can be a positive force. This morning I addressed the AI Summit, and I know there are many representatives of the technology sector in the audience, many for whom Dublin is their base. This is an important and exciting moment for the EU - for our economy, for our competitiveness, as we seek to embrace the new opportunities it presents.
The cultural and creative sector itself can also benefit from AI and indeed is one of the ten industrial sectors for which an AI strategy is under development by the European Commission as part of the Apply AI Strategy. Yet we must ensure that trust remains at the heart our approach to AI. This means those whose content is used can share in the value created.
We continue to keep in mind the three pillars of the Irish EU Presidency: competitiveness, values and security. They do not have to be opposed. In fact, these three objectives are mutually reinforcing.
We want AI to thrive, and we know this requires vast quantities of high-quality content. The creative sector can provide this, and by and large, is ready to do so. We have heard that message clearly today.
Copyright is not a barrier to innovation. It is the lifeblood sustaining this innovation and creativity so that it can continue to thrive into the future.
We have several tools at our disposal:
- We have a strong legal framework, which we continue uphold and enforce;
- We have the AI Act, and, as we heard from Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s AI Office is busy working on its enforcement, assisted by national authorities – including Oifig IS na hÉireann/ the AI Office of Ireland;
- We have the technical capacity to make a symbiotic ecosystem work. Many efforts are underway to strengthen the technical architecture that supports rights management, licensing, fair and proportionate remuneration, and enforcement – including shared metadata, identifiers and technical standards. I commend the EUIPO’s Copyright Knowledge Centre for their work in drawing these strands together;
- We have a process underway to carefully assess our existing framework, and if needed, put forward additional measures at EU level - to encourage licensing, facilitate enforcement by rightsholders, and to address the challenge posed by deepfakes. I encourage you to respond to the Commission’s consultation by 3 November.
Here I will invoke the motto of the Irish Presidency, Ní neart go cur le chéile. We can’t be strong unless we work together. I think this phrase captures something fundamental about the European Union itself: the belief that while the challenges we face are significant, they are challenges we must address together.
And finally, I would like to thank the Irish Recorded Music Association and NewsBrands, and David Kitching and Ann Marie Lenhian, for putting together today’s programme which has been inspiring and thought-provoking. I would also like to thank all the speakers, and for you in the audience who have come to hear them. We are ready to continue the work ahead, working with our trio partners, Lithuania and Greece, as we look ahead to 2027.
Thank you.
ENDS