Australia’s national broadcaster ABC has rejected a proposed copyright carve-out for AI companies. ABC said that existing licensing rules are sufficient for content used in AI model training. The position was presented on Tuesday during a parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence. OpenAI and Anthropic have called for changes that would give AI companies easier access to Australian content. Reports have suggested the government is considering an ‘opt-out’ system. Such a model would allow access to copyrighted material unless a rights holder specifically objects.
Kate Gilchrist, ABC’s head of content and legal operations, highlighted that the proposal would place the responsibility on copyright owners. She said AI companies can negotiate with rights holders for the licences they need.
“The copyright system is completely adequate to manage the business of AI,” she said.
ABC also argued that an opt-out system would be difficult to manage across the internet. Gilchrist said the broadcaster could not monitor every website and identify material that should be excluded from AI training.
The broadcaster’s position adds to opposition from Australian content creators seeking stronger protection for copyrighted work. Existing rules require mostly foreign-based technology companies to negotiate licensing agreements before using protected material for model training. Gilchrist also said the ABC had no conclusive evidence that AI companies used its content without payment. She said there was a likely possibility that the broadcaster’s output had already been scraped for AI training.
The inquiry also examined AI use at the ABC. David Sutton, the broadcaster’s senior executive for policy and regulatory affairs, said there was no plan to replace human news presenters with AI. He said AI could still have a role in particular programme-making situations. The Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence is one of at least four state and federal inquiries examining AI in Australia. OpenAI and Anthropic were scheduled to appear before the same committee later on Tuesday. The hearings come as Australia considers how to regulate AI while protecting copyright. The government’s policy could affect how technology companies access Australian content for future AI systems.
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