Labour Bill would criminalise AI-generated sexual abuse imagery
Labour Bill would criminalise AI-generated sexual abuse imagery - The Labour Party
- Bill closes legal gaps on AI-generated abuse
- Publishers to be held legally responsible
Labour’s Alan Kelly TD has today published legislation to close dangerous gaps in Irish law on sexual abuse imagery generated using artificial intelligence.
The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences (Amendment) Bill 2026 would make it a criminal offence to generate sexual abuse imagery using AI and would explicitly hold publishers legally responsible where they encourage, facilitate, host or distribute such content.
Crucially, the Bill would place clear legal responsibility on major online publishers, including X, Meta, TikTok and Google, ensuring they can no longer evade accountability for the harm caused on their platforms.
Deputy Kelly raised the issue during Leaders’ Questions today, calling on Tánaiste Simon Harris to move immediately to enact the legislation.
Speaking today, Deputy Kelly said:
“It is absolutely crucial that we move quickly to close the loopholes in Irish law. Since the emergence of the Grok AI scandal, I have been deeply moved by the testimony of people who have been targeted through AI-generated sexual abuse imagery. What we are seeing is real harm happening right now, and the law is not keeping pace.
“This Bill clearly criminalises the act of generating intimate images using AI. It also makes it an offence for publishers to encourage, facilitate or allow the generation and spread of this material. That includes major publishers like X and others operating at scale.
“What Grok and X have exposed is not an isolated incident. It has simply revealed a fraction of what is already happening online. That is why this Bill is deliberately future-proofed. It applies not just to today’s platforms, but to any publisher operating in this space in the years ahead.
“All people have a right to digital safety. No one should live in fear that their image or identity can be abused, manipulated or weaponised without consent. The testimony from women in recent days has been particularly stark. No woman should face the threat of having her image, reputation or dignity violated in this way.
“In his response today, the Tánaiste said he would engage on this issue, which is welcome. However, he failed to commit to implementing this Bill, and he failed to set out any meaningful timeline. We are not seeing the urgency that this moment demands from Government.
“This is incredibly urgent. Government must act immediately. We need to cut this out at publisher level. It really is that simple. As long as publishers are allowed to look the other way, this abuse will continue.
“There is no time to wait. That is why Labour has published this Bill today. We are calling on the Government to act now and to provide real, enforceable digital protection for people across Ireland.”
ENDS