AI Companies Seek to Weaken Australia's Copyright Laws; Artists Outraged, Labor Divided
Australia's government is split over copyright reform related to artificial intelligence, as tech giants lobby for data mining exemptions. Artists and Senator David Pocock warn of a potential 'dirty deal' in exchange for data center investments.
Author Anna Funder, speaking at Parliament House, described herself as a 'victim of crime' because technology companies have used her works without permission to train AI models. Last year, the government ruled out granting a copyright exemption for AI training, but ongoing lobbying and a whistleblower tip to Senator Pocock have raised fears that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government might backtrack.
Labor ministers are split: Industry Minister Tim Ayres and Assistant Minister for the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton are keen to attract AI investment, while Attorney General Michelle Rowland and Arts Minister Tony Burke are determined to protect creators' rights. Albanese is due to give a speech on AI regulation on Wednesday, but copyright changes are not expected to be announced.
Senator Pocock revealed that tech companies proposed a deal: copyright carveout in exchange for at least $50 billion in data center investment and a $350 million annual fund for creatives. He called it the 'ultimate dirty deal' and demanded the government rule it out immediately. The government flatly rejected Pocock's claims as inaccurate while repeating it has no plans to weaken copyright.
AI company Anthropic, whose CEO met with the prime minister, has been pushing for a deal to make Australia its second home, but industry and government sources downplayed such a deal. Former industry minister Ed Husic says Australia has 'negotiating leverage' and should not bow to demands.
One Labor MP compared opposing data centers to 'nimbyism' and called for consistent national rules. Public polling found 36% of voters believe AI carries more risk than opportunity. Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young warned that anything resembling a text and data mining exemption would be 'a betrayal'.
