Art ‘must not be sacrificed on the altar of corporate profit’ Liberal senator says as AI policy debate rages

Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has expressed concern over the potential sacrifices being made for the sake of corporate profit, particularly in the context of AI policy debate. The South Australian backbencher urged the Labor government to consider the impact of AI on artists and the environment, stating that "real forests should be prioritized over virtual ones."

As Labor considers copyright changes as part of an AI policy suite, McLachlan argued that artists' rights must be respected and protected, warning that watering down copyright law could be an illegal acquisition of property. While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously declared it a form of theft if creatives aren't paid for their work, some AI companies have refused to enter agreements under existing copyright laws, citing the difficulty in making such arrangements.

Anthropic, an AI company, proposed an "opt out" model that would allow it to scrape music, books, and journalism unless a rights holder objects. Leading voices in the recording industry have voiced concerns about any changes to weaken existing copyright law. McLachlan emphasized that artists' work "nourishes the soul of our nation" and called for prioritizing art over big tech demands.

The growth of datacenters in Australia has raised concerns about increased emissions and power costs for households, prompting backlash from environmental groups and some communities. McLachlan warned that datacenters should not be built at the expense of biodiversity and that a sustainable approach to building sovereign AI capability is needed.

Labor and the Coalition largely agree on AI-related issues, but Senator David Pocock has criticized a major party "stitch-up" on AI regulation. Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam and shadow cybersecurity minister Aaron Violi stated that AI is "too important to become an unnecessarily partisan political contest," pledging to engage constructively to ensure an enduring and multipartisan approach to the technology.

However, fellow Coalition members Ross Cadell and Michaelia Cash have backed concerns raised by Aria about granting AI companies permission to scrape copyrighted material, highlighting the constitutional imperative that the government must acquire property "on just terms."