Proposed Dáil motion aims to protect Kildare artists from being 'ripped off' by AI
The idea was proposed by Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin has proposed a Dáil motion which would aim to protect Irish artists, including those from County Kildare, from being ‘ripped off’ by Artificial Intelligence.
The call comes as the presence of Generative AI (Gen AI) has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly online — in fact, tech giant Google recently announced that it would be powering the world’s first AI arts museum, Dataland, which launched on June 20 last.
Although AI has a number of positive uses, ranging from providing assistance in complex medical research to simple grammar and spelling checks, many artists around the world fear that Gen AI is negatively affecting artists, especially as various Gen AI systems continue to constantly scope out and copy works of art online in order to use the designs as reference points for user prompts.
Speaking further on the matter, Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh, a Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, claimed that Irish artists ‘are being ripped off’.
The Kildare Town-based representative elaborated: “Their copyrighted work is being used, without their consent and without any remuneration, to build systems that spew out ‘AI art’ which directly competes with them.
“This is making it even harder for Kildare's writers, composers, musicians, performers, actors and other artists to make a living in a field where so many already struggle, and where royalties from copyright are vital to their income.”
Deputy Ní Raghallaigh continued: “Kildare has a vibrant and thriving arts scene, which adds so much to the cultural life of our towns and villages; this must be protected from the encroachment of AI and tech oligarchs.
“That is why Sinn Féin is tabling a motion before the Dáil to demand action both here and at European level, to protect the copyright and incomes of artists, to ensure no state funding for art is spent on content produced by AI, and to place the creative sector at the heart of decision-making when it comes to AI policy.”
FINANCIAL LOSS
“The economic impact of AI is significant in the arts; we’re talking about a €22 billion cumulative loss for the music and audiovisual sectors over the coming years, including almost a quarter of revenue for music creators,” the Deputy added.
She also claimed that one one music streaming service, Deezer, recently found that roughly 44 per cent of daily uploads were AI-generated, and that up to 85 per cent of the streams generated by fully AI-generated tracks in 2025 were fraudulent.
“The European Parliament and a majority of EU member states have been clear on the need for a fit-for-purpose copyright framework to address changing technology, and Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union offers us a chance to take the lead in defending artists.
Deputy Ní Raghallaigh concluded: “We have taken the time to listen to the many artists and arts organisations who have been demanding action on this issue for some time, including the Irish Music Rights Organisation, Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, the Ivors Academy, Irish Recorded Music Association, the Irish Writers’ Union and Irish Equity; now is the time to show leadership, and I would encourage artists and art-lovers to contact Kildare's government TDs and ask them to support this motion if they believe in ending the rip-off.”
Sinn Féin’s motion on this issue will be debated on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 during the party’s private members’ business time in the Dáil.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme