Shadow comms minister warns of ‘overregulation’ amid AI copyright furore

Australia’s shadow communications minister Melissa McIntosh has given her take on government intervention and regulation as the country grapples with what to do about copyright concerns and AI companies stealing intellectual property.

An interim report from the Productivity Commission this week explored what to do with copyright laws and intellectual property regulations as seemingly protected content continues to be taken, without permission, to train AI models.

One potential solution put forward in the report was copyright licensing, in which the AI companies taking the material would need to pay the creators some sort of payment. Another option was to look at more effective enforcement, such as take-down notices, alternative dispute resolution and court action. The final option – and the one that has caused most concern amongst media and creative communities – is to look at a text and data mining ‘fair dealing’ exemption from copyright law.

Groups opposed to this route have called for more solid regulation and enforcement to protect them from having their intellectual property stolen. The media union warns it’s “a blueprint for the wholesale theft of Australia’s art, media, and cultural heritage that will do nothing more than further enrich the billionaires in Silicon Valley”.