Irish Examiner view: Tech will not pause for us to catch up

The coverage of AI 'nudification', particularly on platforms such as Grok, which has been misused to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children, has jolted public consciousness and policymakers alike. Picture: Yui Mok/PA

A generation ago, concern about children’s safety online focused on chat rooms, webcams, and anonymous message boards. Today’s threat is more insidious and far more
pervasive: Artificial intelligence that can instantly produce sexually explicit images of real people — including minors — with a few keystrokes. The coverage of AI “nudification”, particularly on platforms such as Grok, which has been misused to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children, has jolted public consciousness and policymakers alike.

Nudification tools — AI functions that remove clothing from images or fabricate nudity — are not benign or
hypothetical curiosities. They weaponise technology against individuals, eroding privacy and dignity, and they are
increasingly easy for ordinary users to find and exploit. In Ireland, advocacy groups such as Rape Crisis Ireland have called for a total ban on AI tools capable of producing deepfake sexual images of children and adults, pointing out there is no legitimate purpose for this functionality apart from exploitation.

The issue cuts to the heart of how AI is regulated, and why regulation can no longer be an afterthought. 

Schools are on the frontlines of this challenge. Already, educators are confronting situations where students bring AI-generated images into the classroom or use apps that turn classmates’ photos into explicit material. Such misuse is not just hurtful, it constitutes a form of digital sexual abuse that traditional bullying or harassment policies are ill-equipped to address. The reality is that AI has outpaced existing protections, leaving schools scrambling for guidance and teachers unprepared for harms that emerge faster than curricula can adapt.

The instinct among many parents and campaigners to call for an outright ban on nudification tools is understandable. Some jurisdictions, such as the UK, have already moved to ban AI apps that facilitate the production of sexualised deepfakes, recognising that even in the absence of direct criminal intent, the availability of these tools fuels abuse and exploitation. 

Ireland should join them. We need clear legal prohibitions that go beyond prosecuting the distribution of illegal content after the fact — laws that prohibit the creation, possession, and use of AI functions designed to strip content from a person’s image or likeness.

But bans alone are not enough. This moment demands a broader, more forward-looking approach to AI regulation — one that recognises children’s rights, privacy, and dignity as core principles, not afterthoughts. 

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office and other bodies have highlighted the need for a comprehensive children’s rights framework for AI that governs everything from recommender systems to digital literacy and educational use. Regulation is inevitable. The only question now is whether it will be thoughtful and protective, or reactive and inadequate.

Ireland must insist on AI safety standards that embed safeguards by design, hold developers accountable, and prioritise the protection of the most vulnerable. The technology will not pause for us to catch up — but our lawmakers, educators, and society must not be left behind.

A concerning lack of action

For more than half a decade Ireland has talked about producing its first National Security Strategy — a blueprint for identifying and responding to the full spectrum of threats facing the State. What began as a public consultation in 2019 should have yielded a strategy by the end of 2021. It has yet to be published. What was once tardiness has become much more concerning.

A National Security Strategy is not some abstract exercise in government bureaucracy. It is, in every responsible democracy, the heartbeat of coherent defence, intelligence, and crisis response. It defines risks, sets priorities, and clarifies which agency does what in the event of conflict, cyberattack, espionage, or hybrid coercion. Without it, decision-makers are flying blind.

Experts have made the case repeatedly. Rory Finegan of Maynooth University describes the absence of such a strategy against the backdrop of a fifth year of war in Europe as “stark and disconcerting”. Edward Burke of UCD urges that coherent mechanisms for identifying and directing national security priorities “must be an absolute priority for any state”. These aren’t academic quibbles — they are sober assessments from those who understand the gravity of today’s geopolitical volatility.

Ireland today is exposed not by intent but by omission. Drones probing airspace near Dublin, cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure, and the increasingly competitive manoeuvring of global powers all remind us that neutrality does not equate to immunity.

The Government must finalise and publish the long-promised strategy without further delay.

Taking time out

By now the lengthy list of resolutions that were drafted so enthusiastically on January 1 may be looking a little lacklustre and unappealing as the second week of the year approaches.

While self-improvement is a commendable pursuit at the best of times, it is underlined by an assumption that we must work harder, do more, be better, to improve ourselves when maybe we need to do much less. Maybe we just need to rest.

Rest is vital for our wellbeing, but in an always-on culture it has lost its value and cache. Suzanne Harrington, writing in the Irish Examiner’s Feelgood today, outlines the importance of finding time for rest in today’s busy world. This is particularly the case for women, who are often juggling several layers of responsibilities both inside and outside of the home.

As Harrington points out, rest is not the same as sleep. Rest is taking time out for oneself to do something that brings joy and contentment. It is a simple, and frequently solitary, pursuit. Allowing ourselves to appreciate taking time out, to see the benefits of it, and to enjoy its simplicity places true value on the concept of rest and how we can achieve it. Now that’s a resolution worth making — and keeping.

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