Bill aims to make creating deepfakes a criminal offence

Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne says he hopes the bill will spark "wider public awareness of the risks AI poses to our democracy and personal safety".

Creating deepfakes is set to become a standalone criminal offence under new legislation from the Government.

Following on from a number of high-profile incidents where a person's likeness has been used in order to sell products online, it will become a crime to use someone's face or voice to mislead or manipulate others.

Introduced by Fianna Fáil TD Malcolm Byrne, the bill aims to tackle the misuse of a person's likeness or voice as well as intellectual property which would cover those in creative fields.

Mr Byrne said that legislation in Ireland must keep up with rapidly progressing AI technology.

He highlighted risks posed by hostile foreign actors, referring to disinformation campaigns by Russia and North Korea.

"While this bill is not aimed directly at malicious states, it is a critical first step in holding individuals accountable and sparking wider public awareness of the risks AI poses to our democracy and personal safety," said Mr Byrne.

He said that in many ways these offences are not new, likening it to counterfeit money. The public will be familiar with instances where politicians, including the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste, and high-profile media figures will have been victims of deepfakes — however, the issue impacts the wider public as well.

Mr Byrne said that he and some of his colleagues have dealt with individuals who found themselves a victim of deepfakes, something which can be violating and upsetting for people.

In terms of trying to keep ahead of a rapidly evolving technological landscape, Mr Byrne said that the Government cannot legislate for every eventuality, but it is important to have safety measures in place from the beginning, and then this can be built upon.