Ireland’s recorded music trade body and newspaper publishers have invited Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, to deliver the keynote address at a Dublin conference on copyright and artificial intelligence (AI).
The event, titled Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI, is jointly hosted by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and NewsBrands Ireland, with support from Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment.
It is being held as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and will examine how human creativity can remain valued and protected amid rapid technological change.
Speakers and panel#
Keynote speakers alongside Virkkunen include:
- Peter Burke, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise
- Niamh Smyth, Minister of State for Trade Promotion, AI, and Digital Transformation
- Professor Eleanora Rosati, one of Europe’s leading experts on copyright and intellectual property (IP) law
Daniel McConnell, editor of the Business Post, will host the conference. Panelists will include policymakers, legal experts, rights holders, creators, and representatives from the media and creative industries.
Industry positions#
David Kitching, Head of Public Affairs and Communications at IRMA, said: “This is an opportunity to appeal to European policymakers to protect human creativity by maintaining transparency and accountability rules in the use of AI tools. Without the necessary guardrails, music and other creative output can be taken without authorization or payment, diverting money away from rights holders.”
Kitching added: “Ireland can show real leadership, as both a tech hub and a society that values culture, in promoting copyright laws that maintain a fair and equitable system and that sustains our creative sector. IRMA is delighted to join NewsBrands in facilitating these discussions at such an important time.”
Ann Marie Lenihan, CEO of NewsBrands Ireland, said: “AI has enormous potential to drive innovation, but that innovation cannot come at the expense of the rights of those who create and invest in original content. Publishers must retain control over how their journalism is accessed, licensed, reproduced, and used to train AI systems. Strong intellectual property rights are not a barrier to innovation; they are the foundation on which sustainable innovation depends.”
Event details#
Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI takes place on October 14, 2026, at the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar, Dublin 2. Further speakers and panelists will be announced in the coming weeks.
