A new Europe-wide ban on artificial intelligence (AI) applications that create non-consensual or illegal images has been welcomed by the Irish Government.
Niamh Smyth, the Minister of State for AI, said the provisional agreement “marks a pivotal moment in the responsible regulation of artificial intelligence in Europe.”
On Thursday, the European Parliament and Council agreed to ban AI technology that “create child sexual abuse material or depict the intimate parts of an identifiable person, or them engaged in sexually explicit activities, without that person’s consent.”
The ban would include placing any AI systems “with the purpose” of creating such content on the EU market, and placing them on the EU market “without reasonable safety measures to prevent such creation.” Companies will have until December 2 this year to bring their systems in line with the new ban.
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Earlier this year, it emerged that Grok, the AI model owned by Elon Musk‘s social media giant X, was being used to generate non-consensual intimate images and alleged child abuse images following prompts from social media users.
In the aftermath of the controversy, the European Commission launched a new formal investigation against X under the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Ireland’s AI Advisory Council called on the State to use the upcoming presidency of the Council of the European Union to ban artificial intelligence models which generate intimate images and child sex abuse material.
The European Commission had confirmed that AI apps that generate child sex abuse imagery and non-consensual intimate images are not banned under the existing AI law.
“I welcome this morning’s agreement on the EU AI Act, which marks a pivotal moment in the responsible regulation of artificial intelligence in Europe,” Smyth said.
“I am particularly pleased that it expands the prohibited practices under the EU AI Act to include the generation of non-consensual intimate images and child sexual abuse material. These new prohibitions reflect our shared commitment to protecting the dignity and safety of individuals, especially children, as technology advances.
“Ireland, alongside fellow member states, was a strong and determined advocate for this vital protection. Online safety remains a key priority for me and for this Government. As Ireland prepares to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union, we will continue to work with member states on this very important issue.”
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