Burke on AI controversy: 'safeguarding people from harm a priority for government'

Síofra Grant

Minister Peter Burke is today seeking cabinet approval of legislation that seeks to transform Ireland’s relationship with artificial intelligence through transposing a recent EU AI Act into Irish law.

Generative AI has been making waves recently, most notably Grok, the controversial chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s X. Grok can allegedly be prompted to create sexually explicit deepfake images. Criticism has been directed to the tech giant repeatedly in the last few weeks regarding the scandal, highlighting that the software could be used to endanger women and children.

In a recent press conference Minister Burke was asked about the Elon Musk and whether there was a fear of going up against him in the Dáil.

“I think the Irish government is firm in rule of law, very firm in protecting future generations.

“Our children, as I said, are our most prized people in our society that we have to protect and it’s incumbent on the government to do that.”

In a statement to the Westmeath Examiner, Minister Burke said: “As a father of two young boys, we need protection.

“I am very concerned by recent reports regarding the alleged use of AI tools to generate non-consensual explicit images.

“The creation and sharing of such material is wholly unacceptable and may constitute serious offences under Irish and EU law.

“Safeguarding people from harm, particularly children and vulnerable individuals is a fundamental priority for the government.”

The minister acknowledged the various organisations that have been calling for stricter legislation to be introduced.

“I am mindful of concerns raised by organisations such as Women’s Aid and of the serious impact failures in online safeguards can have on individuals and communities. These issues reinforce the importance of robust regulation enforcement and accountability.”

Éist, an advocacy group who offer support regarding domestic violence and sexual assault are aligned these concerns.

“We find Grok and other platforms similar to that allows people access to essentially commit sexual violence online, in many different forms,” said Hazel Behan, co-founder of the organisation. “I feel like strongly worded letters to the likes of X aren’t enough.

“Technology is moving forward at such a fantastic rate and there’s huge positives in technology – however, the dangers need to be looked at.

“Legislation needs to be drafted for them to protect people, to protect our most vulnerable, to protect our children, to protect everybody, really.”

AI has quickly been integrated by tech moguls into every facet of daily life. It’s on Google, Snapchat, X, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram.

Ms Behan added: “I don’t think anybody is immune to AI, in the sense that if somebody can get their hands on your image, and, myself included, anyone who has social media or has any presence online, their images are widely available and can be used to do quite unsavoury things.

“I think of the expression, ‘I’d rather be looking at it than for it’.

“I think the government have a responsibility to be forward thinking and to be a bit more ahead of the game.

“I appreciate that in certain aspects they may not be able to foresee certain things but I think the most important thing is to have legislation in place in case people have the potential to abuse. The legislation needs to match that, the legislation needs to protect people and have no loopholes or ways around that.”