Senators say generative AI represents ‘unprecedented theft’ and must be forced to pay creators for their work

Context

Similar legislation introduced in Europe sets a “risk” framework to ban social scoring tools like those used in China, and potentially real-time facial recognition tools like that which Bunnings was recently in breach for using.

Topic: Government

The Australian government has established a parliamentary committee to consider whether it should respond to the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with “whole-of-economy” legislation, tweaks to existing laws, or a lightest-touch approach of regulations developed in partnership with the industry.

Key Findings

• AI systems in the US are able to take advantage of copyrighted materials, but use likely amounts to a breach of copyright under Australia’s more stringent copyright laws.

• The widespread theft of tens of thousands of Australians’ creative works by big multinational tech companies, without authorisation or remuneration, is not already unlawful, then it should be.

• The notion put forward by Google, Amazon and Meta that their “theft” of Australian content was for the greater good because it ensured Australian culture was represented in AI output was “farcical”.

• Trust in AI is lower in Australia and has led to lower adoption rates here than in other countries.

• Strong safeguards could give the public confidence that the industry can grow safely.

Recommendations

• Work begin “urgently” to develop a mechanism for creators to be paid if their work is used to train commercial AI models.

• Developers of AI products should be forced to be transparent about the use of copyrighted works in their training datasets, and that the use of that work be appropriately licensed and paid for.

• A mechanism to ensure fair remuneration to creators whose work is used should also be developed in consultation with the creative industry.

Topic: Artificial Intelligence

That’s the bipartisan recommendation of a special parliamentary inquiry into the rapidly growing tech, which has also levelled an extraordinary accusation at the tech giants that they have committed “unprecedented theft” from creative workers in Australia.