AI Companies Push for Copyright Exemption, Minister Dismisses Plans to Weaken Laws

Australian AI companies are pushing for copyright exemption to train their large language models on copyrighted works. Arts minister Tony Burke rejects weakening copyright laws, while songwriter Peter Garrett urges strengthening them to preserve cultural sovereignty and intellectual property. Major AI companies like Google and Microsoft have also advocated for copyright exemptions, with Australian tech billionaire Scott Farquhar calling for a text and data mining exception.

Australian AI companies are pushing for copyright exemptions to train their large language models on copyrighted works, sparking a heated debate among policymakers, tech giants, and creative industries. The proposed exemptions aim to foster innovation in AI, but they face strong opposition from authors, publishers, and industry bodies concerned about intellectual property rights and economic impact.

The Productivity Commission's interim report, "Harnessing data and digital technology," proposes a text and data mining exception to the Australian Copyright Act. This exception would legalize the use of copyrighted Australian works to train AI large language models without compensation to the original creators. The Commission estimates that AI could contribute A$116 billion to the Australian economy over ten years, but the proposal has met with strong opposition from writers, publishers, and industry bodies who argue that it would "preference the interests of multinational technology companies at the expense of our own creative industries" [1].

Australian authors, who on average earn around $18,500 per year from their writing, are overwhelmingly opposed to their work being used to train AI models without compensation. The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and the Australian Publishers Association have expressed deep concern about the proposed exception. The Albanese government has stated it has no plans to change copyright law, but acknowledges that any changes must consider effects on artists and news media [1].

The proposal has raised alarms across various creative sectors. The Australian Council of Trade Unions accused the Productivity Commission of favoring multinational tech companies at the expense of Australian workers. Music rights collecting agency Apra Amcos warned that such an exemption could potentially devastate Australia's $9bn music industry [1].

Tech giants like Google, Meta, and Atlassian have argued for unrestricted AI access to all available human data. This push comes amidst a highly competitive AI job market, with companies reportedly offering up to US$100m pay packets for AI researchers [1]. Australian tech billionaire Scott Farquhar has called for a text and data mining exception, echoing the sentiments of major AI companies.

Arts minister Tony Burke rejects weakening copyright laws, while songwriter Peter Garrett urges strengthening them to preserve cultural sovereignty and intellectual property. Burke believes that copyright laws should not be weakened to accommodate AI development, stating that "we need to ensure that our copyright laws are fit for the 21st century, but that doesn't mean we should weaken them" [2].

The proposal also raises concerns about the future of news and content creation. AI summaries in search results are already leading to decreased click-through rates for news websites. A recent study suggests that a site previously ranked top in search results could see a 79% drop in click-throughs due to AI-generated summaries [1].

As the world's 13th largest economy, Australia's actions could set precedents for other countries to follow. The decision on this copyright exemption could have far-reaching implications for the global balance between AI innovation and intellectual property rights [1].

References:
[1] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/australia-s-productivity-commission-proposes-ai-copyright-exemptions-sparking-controversy-18738/
[2] https://www.brookskushman.com/insights/green-light-for-now-first-set-of-rulings-favoring-ai-training-on-copyrighted-content/