Overview
The Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI conference takes place as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and will examine how best to ensure that human creativity remains valued and protected amid rapid technological change. It is jointly hosted by NewsBrands Ireland and the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and endorsed by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment.
The conference will bring together a diverse range of panellists, including policymakers, legal experts, rights holders, creators and representatives from across the media and creative industries, to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by AI and its impact on copyright and human creativity.
Keynote speakers include European Commission Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security & Democracy Henna Virkkunen, Minister for Enterprise Peter Burke; and Professor Eleonora 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 recognising and rewarding creative work.
Copyright and Human Creativity in the Age of AI takes place on 14 October 2026 at the Irish Film Institute, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.
Further speakers and panellists will be announced in the coming weeks.
Speakers
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission
Henna Virkkunen serves as the Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy at the European Commission, a role she assumed in December 2024. She is responsible for shaping the EU’s digital and technological strategy, including cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and the protection of democratic institutions. A member of Finland’s National Coalition Party, Virkkunen has held several key positions in Finnish government, including Minister of Education (2008–2011), Minister of Public Administration and Local Government (2011–2014), and Minister of Transport and Local Government (2014). From 2014 to 2024, she was a Member of the European Parliament, where she focused on digital policy, energy, and innovation. Virkkunen holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Jyväskylä. Her work in the Commission centres on strengthening Europe’s technological autonomy, ensuring secure digital transitions, and upholding democratic values across Member States.
Peter Burke TD Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Peter Burke is Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. He previously served as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning.
Before being appointed to the government, Peter sat on the Oireachtas Finance and Public Accounts Committees and has been a frequent media commentator on tax and financial issues.
He was born in Mullingar, Ireland and attended National University of Ireland, Galway where he studied Commerce. He is a Chartered Accountant by profession with ten years’ experience in the private sector. Peter served as a Councillor on Westmeath County Council from 2007 until he was elected to the Dáil in 2016
Professor Eleonora Rosati, Stockholm University
Eleonora Rosati is Full Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Stockholm University and Of Counsel at Bird & Bird. She holds guest/visiting positions at several other institutions, is Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law & Practice (Oxford University Press), and long-standing contributor to and editor of The IPKat. The author of several scholarly articles and books on IP issues, including Copyright and the Court of Justice of the European Union (Oxford University Press:2026, 3rd edn) and Copyright in the Digital Single Market. Article-by-Article Commentary to the Provisions of Directive 2019/790 (Oxford University Press:2021), Eleonora regularly prepares technical briefings and expert opinions at the request of inter alia international organizations and EU institutions and agencies, as well as national governments, corporations, and professional bodies and organizations. She has received multiple accolades and prizes for her work in the IP field and has been featured in prominent media outlets, including inter alia The New York Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, CNN, BBC, and Politico.
Karen Rønde, Director of Regulatory Relations EU & Big Tech, Amedia
Karen Rønde is Director of EU & Big Tech Regulatory Relations at Amedia and Vice Chair of the DPCMO, where she previously served as Executive Director. She is a lawyer and a Policy Fellow in Digitalization and Technology at the Queen Mary’s Center at the University of Copenhagen. Rønde is a former member of the Danish Parliament and has served as a judge on the Danish Impeachment Court. She has worked as a television anchor and journalist at Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), served as Policy Director for Netflix in the Nordic countries and as Head of Legal, Public Policy, and Sports at Viaplay.
Dearbhail McDonald, Author, Journalist, Broadcaster and documentary maker.
Dearbhail McDonald is an author, journalist, broadcaster and documentary maker. A global Eisenhower Fellow, Dearbhail has won a series of awards for her contribution to public affairs journalism including the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Smurfit Business School, the Mary Cummins Award for Women of Outstanding Achievement in Media, a Dublin City University Special Alumni Achievement award, as well as several Justice Media Awards. President of the Strategy Committee of Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris, Dearbhail has also served on the boards of Fighting Words, Ireland’s national creative writing centre for children and young adults, the St. Stephen’s Green Trust as well as the External Advisory Board of Maynooth University Department of Law. The author of Bust: How the Courts Exposed the Rotten Heart of the Irish Economy (Penguin), Dearbhail has consistently used her platforms to highlight a range of diverse issues at the interface of law, business, society, economics, equality and faith including documentaries such as Fertility Shock (RTE 2019), The Last Nuns in Ireland (RTE 2024) and its follow up series The Last Missionaries of Ireland due to be aired later this year. Dearbhail holds an LL.B (Law) from Trinity College Dublin as well as a Masters Degree in Journalism from Dublin City University.
Michael McNamara MEP, Co-Chair of the European Parliament's AI Working Group
Michael McNamara was elected to the European Parliament to represent the Ireland South constituency in June 2024.
Michael is Co-Chair of the European Parliament’s Working Group on the Implementation and Enforcement of the AI Act. He serves as a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and is its Rapporteur for the Digital Omnibus on AI. Michael is also a substitute member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and a Shadow Rapporteur for the Digital Omnibus.
He is also Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (DSAS), and substitute member of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly.
Before his election to the European Parliament, Michael represented the Clare constituency as a member of the Irish parliament from 2011 until 2016, and again from 2020 until 2024.
As a national politician, he was appointed Chair of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Response in 2020 and Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Drug Use in 2024.
He is a barrister and a farmer.
Naoise Ó Cearúil TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on AI
Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Artificial Intelligence. Spokesperson on Artificial Intelligence & Gaeltacht Affairs. TD for Kildare North
Dr Harshvardhan Pandit, AI Accountability Lab, Trinity College
Dr. Harshvardhan J. Pandit is a Research Fellow at the AI Accountability
Lab (AIAL) in Trinity College Dublin. Their research explores ecologies
of power technology based on intersection of technology (knowledge
modeling, AI), law (GDPR, AI Act, consumer protection), and fundamental
rights (privacy, data protection, consumer protection). Dr. Pandit’s PhD
(Computer Science, Trinity College Dublin) explored the application of
linked data and semantic web technologies towards GDPR compliance, with
a particular focus on consent and provenance
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, Editor, The Irish Times
Ruadhán Mac Cormaic is the Editor of The Irish Times. A former foreign-affairs correspondent, legal-affairs correspondent and Paris correspondent, he is the author of The Supreme Court.
Dr Neasa Hardiman Executive Producer, Director and Writer
Dr Neasa Hardiman is a BAFTA- and IFTA-winning Executive Producer, Director and Writer with a wealth of experience across globally successful prestige drama in the budget range of over one hundred million Euro. She has won a slew of international awards. Qualified in Advanced AI, Neasa is closely engaged with emerging technologies, exploring the implications and opportunities for future content creation. Neasa has taken creative leadership positions with Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Hulu, BBC, ITV and Channel 4. She is a Director of the Board of Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ, and Chair of RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Ltd. She is a Director of the Board of Ireland’s most prestigious university, Trinity College Dublin, founded 1592. Neasa is bilingual in German and speaks excellent Irish.
Dr Conor Kostick, Author, and Disputes Officer with Irish Writers Union
Dr Conor Kostick is the author of 23 books of fiction and history, including the internationally acclaimed Epic. He was awarded the Reading Association of Ireland’s Special Merit award in 2009, 'in recognition of his significant contribution to writing for children in Ireland’ and was twice nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. A former member of the board of the National Library of Ireland, Conor was president of the Irish jury for the EU Prize of Literature on two occasions.
Conor advocates for writers via his role as Disputes Officer for the Irish Writers Union and his membership of the board of the European Writers’ Council. In the latter role, he is a member of the EWC taskforce on AI
Agnieszka Horak, Senior Legal Counsel, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)
Agnieszka Horak joined IFPI’s European Office as Senior Legal Counsel in 2019, working on EU copyright files, representing IFPI in the EUIPO, and also following copyright related developments in EU trade policy. She has extensive experience in EU copyright law and legislative affairs, gained through roles with private television broadcasters, as Director of Legal and Public Affairs at ACT, as Attaché in the Permanent Representation of Poland to the EU, representing the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and before that in the Ministry’s Copyright Department during the first Polish Presidency. Her work has covered major EU initiatives on copyright in the Digital Single Market, broadcasters’ online transmissions, orphan works, collective rights management, cross-border portability of online content services, intellectual property enforcement, and audiovisual media services.
She graduated from the College of Europe in 2010 and completed legal studies in France at Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Université Paris-Sud 11 (today Université Paris-Saclay), specialising in European and intellectual property law.
Yordanka Ivanova, AI Office, European Commission
Yordanka Ivanova is a Legal and Policy Officer in the European Commission (DG CNECT, A2) in the unit responsible for Artificial Intelligence Police Development and Coordination. Ms Ivanova started her career in the European Commission in 2011 and since 2017 she has been working in DG CNECT on the Commission proposal for Artificial Intelligence Regulation.
Outside the Commission, Ms Ivanova has experience as a researcher and attorney-at-law, advising companies on EU regulations, including in the area of data protection, consumer protection, digital services, financial services, cybersecurity and copyright.
Stefan Heijdendael, NDP Newsmedia
Stefan Heijdendael is strategic advisor for NDP Newsmedia, the Dutch trade organisation for news publishers.
After almost two decades in investigative journalism Heijdendael now focuses on a sustainable ecosystem for journalism in the age of AI.
Together with experts in and outside his trade organisation Heijdendael works on the development of a future-proof and ethical EU framework for AI policy that drives both innovation AND high-quality journalism.
Heijdendael is one of the driving forces behind the first collective license for AI training data: a large copyright compliant training dataset of Dutch press articles for GPT-NL, the Dutch government-supported LLM. The thinking behind this license forms the basis for Heijdendael’s objective to develop a truly European AI Data infrastructure, with hands-on, real world examples and workable solutions.
Emmanuelle Du Chalard, Head of Copyright Unit, European Commission
Emmanuelle Du Chalard works in the European Commission as Head of the Copyright Unit in DG CNECT. She joined the Commission in 2010 and has been working on EU copyright policy and legislation since 2014. Previously, she worked on internal market policies, in the Unit responsible for regulated professions. She holds a Master degree from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences.
Wout Van Wijk, Executive Director, News Media Europe
Wout van Wijk is Executive Director of News Media Europe, the Brussels-based organisation representing Europe’s news media industry. He works at the intersection of journalism, technology and public policy, advocating for conditions in which independent media can innovate, compete and thrive.
Across his career, Wout has built expertise in media policy, data protection, cybersecurity, platform regulation and digital markets. Before joining News Media Europe, he worked in the telecommunications sector on cybersecurity and privacy policy, and worked at the European Commission on trust and security policy and research.
Today, he brings publishers’ perspectives into European debates on press freedom, copyright, artificial intelligence, advertising, competition and the sustainability of quality journalism. He also serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the European Advertising Standards Alliance.
Wout holds an MSc in Communication Science from the University of Twente and an MA in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University.
Deirdre Veldon, Journalist, media consultant
Deirdre Veldon is an editor, media consultant and strategic adviser for the publishing industry. A former Managing Director of The Irish Times Group and former Deputy Editor, she led The Irish Times’s digital transformation over 30 years. In recent years, she has focused on optimising the company’s digital journalism and subscription sales; introducing new technologies, including AI; diversifying the business into adjacent digital services; and advocating on public policy issues . As president of Brussels-based News Media Europe, representing 2,700 publishers, and Vice Chair of NewsBrands Ireland, she played a key role in strengthening the voice of news media and the creative industries in asserting their rights and advancing their interests at European and domestic political institutions. She is an ardent advocate for creating a framework for a sustainable news ecosystem as an imperative of a functioning democracy against a backdrop of the rise of Gen AI, the decline of search, copyright infringement, unfair competitive practices and threats to press freedom.
Enda Parker, Director of Business Development, AudioStack
Enda Parker is Business Development Director at AudioStack, an AI audio production platform, where he leads Europe enterprise sales and account management for publishing. With over 15 years in enterprise SaaS, Enda has spent his career at the intersection of innovation and media, helping organisations adopt the latest technologies, whilst continuing to empower their teams and serve their users. Prior to AudioStack, he held senior sales roles at Contentful and Mixpanel.
At AudioStack, Enda works closely with broadcasters, publishers and media groups across Europe, including partners such as Bauer Media, Onic and PRISA Media, on how AI can responsibly support audio production at scale. He is a regular presence at European broadcast industry events, including EGTA's annual gatherings, where questions of trust, rights and responsible AI adoption are increasingly the main topic of conversation.
Enda brings a practitioner's perspective to the debate on copyright and human creativity in the age of AI: having sat across the table from rights holders, broadcasters and creative teams navigating this shift firsthand, he is focused on how commercial AI tools can earn trust through transparency, fair licensing, and genuine respect for the creative process they support.
Dr Alessandra Sala, Board member, AI Office of Ireland
Samantha Holman, CEO Irish Copyright Licensing Agency (ICLA)
Samantha Holman is CEO Irish Copyright Licensing Agency (ICLA). She is also currently President of IFRRO, the international umbrella body for Reproduction Rights Organisations, the CMOs for the Text & Image sector. For twenty-five years, she has worked to ensure that creators rights are protected and respected, supporting authors, visual creators and publishers at home and abroad. She is also lectures on copyright in Ireland and internationally
Venue / How to get there
You’ll find the IFI in the heart of Dublin’s cultural quarter, Temple Bar. Located on Eustace Street, we’re right in the centre of the city and within easy reach by public transport, on foot or by bike.
Address: Irish Film Institute, 6 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 PD85
Find us on Google Maps
The IFI is situated right in the heart of Temple Bar, with numerous bus, train, tram and bicycle links.
The nearest LUAS tram stop is Westmoreland or Trinity (Green line) and Jervis (Red line).
The following Dublin Bus routes stop on College Green, Dame Street and Lord Edward Street, near or close to the IFI: 13, 14, 15A, 16, 27, 65, 65B, 68, 77A, 80, 122, 150, 151.
The nearest DART stop to the IFI is Tara Street Station.
The nearest Dublin Bikes station is at Barnardo Square on Dame Street.
Visit Transport for Ireland
Contact the IFI: info@irishfilm.ie | +353 1 679 5744
Organisers / Partners
Newsbrands Ireland is the representative body for Ireland’s national news publishers
https://newsbrandsireland.ie/
Contact: Ann Marie Lenihan, CEO NewsBrands Ireland,
amlenihan@newsbrands.ie
LinkedIn
IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Association) is the trade association of the recording industry in Ireland.
https://www.irma.ie/
Contact: David Kitching, Head of Public Affairs & Communications at IRMA
david@irma.ie
LinkedIn