Blog Post
Paul Tweed used Microsoft as an example of a company that should be liable for the spread of misleading information through AI
Defamation lawyer Paul Tweed said companies like Microsoft should be on the hook for the spread of generative AI “disinformation”.
Mr Tweed, the founder of W P Tweed & Co and an expert in the field of media law and reputation management, said that he has heard concerns from organisations, including news publishers, that AI chatbots are taking up the role of “news aggregator” but a lot of what is being churned out is misleading information.
“Key players out there, either for commercial or political reasons, who have been feeding disinformation, are now utilising these AI chatbots,” he said.
However, Mr Tweed said that Irish law isn’t geared to deal with the problems emerging from the growing use of AI. “The million dollar question is who’s accountable,” said Mr Tweed.
“Who do we take action against? Do we sue a robot?” he continued.
Mr Tweed used Microsoft as an example of a company that should be liable for the spread of misleading information through AI. Microsoft has invested heavily in OpenAI, a company that created the leading AI chatbot ChatGPT.
Big tech take advantage of tax tourism by coming to Ireland. That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Irish economy. But why should they be treated any different from the owners of the Irish Examiner,” said Mr Tweed. They’re the publishers. They’re the owners.
Mr Tweed said introducing such laws that would impact big tech firms is “not going to scare them off”. "They must be subject to the law like everyone else”.
Meanwhile, last week Reuters reported that MEPs came a step closer to passing new rules regulating artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, following a crunch vote on Thursday where they agreed on tougher draft legislation.
The European Union's highly anticipated AI Act looks set to be the world's first comprehensive legislation governing the technology, with new rules around the use of facial recognition, biometric surveillance, and other AI applications.
