AI has already been trained on the works of Australian artists including Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave without compensation, according to the International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP). This peak global body for music rights has warned the Australian government against yielding to pressure from tech companies seeking to weaken copyright law.
Background
The ICMP, which represents major labels like Sony, Warner, and Universal, as well as thousands of independent publishers, claims that Australia is the only country considering changes to its copyright laws among the dozens approached. John Phelan, the ICMP’s managing director, stated that AI companies are attempting to "legitimise larceny" by pressuring Australian policymakers.
“"They’re trying to strong-arm Australian policymakers into ‘if you don’t do this, we won’t invest,’" Phelan told Guardian Australia.
In July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese remarked that it would be "theft" if artists did not retain control over how their work is used to train AI and what they are compensated for its use.
Current Developments
Concerns have been raised by music, film, media, and news organizations that global tech companies are lobbying the government behind closed doors to weaken copyright laws. Members of a parliamentary committee on artificial intelligence have described the situation as a stalemate, noting that AI models are already training on copyrighted works in the United States without compensating creators.
In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, Jo Briskey, the inquiry’s Labor chair, and Jonathon Duniam, its deputy chair from the Liberal party, recommended that the government examine current copyright settings while ensuring that creators retain control and are compensated.
