Disquiet grows in Albanese’s back yard as Grayndler artists unite against ‘insane’ AI proposal
Inner west Sydney seat has long been safely held by the PM – but potential changes to copyright laws are angering its large creative community Get our daily political email , free app or daily news podcast The prime minister is facing growing discontent within his own electorate as creatives push back against the federal government’s proposal to allow AI companies to scrape everything Australians…
The safe Labor seat of Grayndler in Sydney's inner west is facing growing discontent among its creative community as the federal government's proposal to allow AI companies to scrape content from Australian creators worries locals. The seat, which has been safely held by PM Anthony Albanese for three decades, is home to over 3,000 cultural and creative businesses, and 10% of its workforce is employed in the creative sector.
As Labor considers giving AI companies access to Australian works, artists are reacting with dismay. Creative professionals argue that the government's plan to weaken copyright laws is akin to theft, as it would allow AI companies to train their models using Australian material without compensating creators. Some AI companies have expressed difficulty in negotiating licensing agreements under existing copyright law, while Anthropic has suggested an opt-out model that would permit scraping of content unless a rights holder objects.
The federal government's draft laws, expected by the end of the year, will be considered in parliament in 2027.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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