Photo Credit: Irish Recorded Music Association
European Commission EVP Henna Virkkunen will deliver a keynote address at a conference in Dublin on the future of copyright in the age of AI.
The Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and newspaper publishers have invited Henna Virkkunen, European Commission Executive Vice President for Tech Sovereignty, Security & Democracy, to deliver the keynote address at a conference on copyright and human creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.
Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI will examine how best to ensure that human creativity remains valued and protected amid rapid technological change. It is jointly hosted by IRMA and NewsBrands Ireland, with the support of the Department of Enterprise, Tourism, and Employment.
The conference takes place as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. It gathers a diverse range of panelists, including policymakers, legal experts, rights holders, creators, and representatives from the media and creative industries.
Alongside Commissioner Virkkunen, keynote speakers include Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke; Minister of State for Trade Promotion, AI, and Digital Transformation Niamh Smyth; and Professor Eleanora Rosati, one of Europe’s leading experts on copyright and IP law. It will be hosted by Daniel McConnell, Editor of the Business Post.
The event will explore key questions at the heart of the copyright and AI debate, including how we can build trust around the use of AI; develop a fair and robust market for licensing copyrighted works; and ensure that copyright protections can be effectively enforced. Panels will examine the implications of AI for affected sectors and consider how to support innovation while properly recognizing and rewarding creative work.
“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,” said David Kitching, Head of Public Affairs & Communications at IRMA.
“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.”
“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,” said Ann Marie Lenihan, CEO of NewsBrands Ireland.
“This conference will bring together some of the leading voices in Europe to examine how we can build a copyright framework that supports innovation while ensuring that creators and rights holders are properly recognized, protected, and rewarded. It is an important conversation for Ireland and for Europe, and we are delighted to be hosting it during Ireland’s EU Presidency.”
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.