Labor Considers Easing Copyright Rules for AI Firms, Drawing Criticism from Senator Pocock

The Albanese government is considering a proposal that would give artificial intelligence companies default access to Australian creatives' copyrighted works, according to The Guardian, as it seeks a compromise with major US technology firms operating in the AI sector.

The proposal was disclosed as senior personnel from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, met with Labor ministers. During those discussions, OpenAI representatives reportedly told the government that Australia's current copyright laws were preventing the company from training its AI models within the country, according to the report.

Independent Senator David Pocock criticised the proposed approach, saying that easing copyright protections to attract AI datacentre investment would amount to throwing creatives "under the bus," according to The Guardian.

The report indicates the government is weighing the move as part of broader efforts to court investment from AI companies, including potential datacentre development in Australia. The specific details of how a default-access framework might operate, and what protections or compensation might be offered to affected creatives, were not fully outlined in the available reporting.

The discussions come amid a wider global debate over how copyright law should apply to the training of large AI models, with creative industries in multiple countries raising concerns about the unauthorised use of their work to develop commercial AI systems.

Guardian Australia noted that Labor ministers were involved in the meetings with OpenAI personnel, though the government has not publicly detailed a final policy position on the matter as of the report's publication.