I thank Deputies Devine and Carthy for this very important and timely Bill. Speedy action on this is required now; not next year, not after another review, but now. During the period from 29 December 2025 through to 9 January 2026, Grok is estimated to have generated approximately 3 million sexualised images, including 23,000 that appear to depict children. Let us be absolutely clear on this, these are children. The question that must be asked is very simple: why did the Government not act immediately on this? According to Children's Health Ireland, CHI, these tools pose significant risks to children and young people, including psychological distress, loss of dignity, coercion and long-term trauma. This is real, live harm being inflicted right now. This erosion of basic societal norms cannot be tolerated. It strikes at the dignity, safety and fundamental rights of women, men and children and it needs to be sorted now. Violence against women remains pervasive in Ireland and the digital space now plays a central role in enabling and amplifying that violence. AI has become a new weapon of abuse, humiliation and control. Perpetrators of digital domestic abuse, sexual violence and gender-based violence must not be allowed to evade accountability or to hide behind a veil of anonymity because of weak or inadequate rules imposed on platforms and digital service providers. Every day that the Government delays, these images remain available. Every hour of inaction compounds that harm and every failure to legislate sends a dangerous message that protection does not matter. The generation of non-consensual intimate images and videos through AI must be criminalised.

Sentiment score: -0.22