Australian senator warns artists' copyright and environment must not be sacrificed for AI
Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has warned the government against weakening copyright laws for AI companies, arguing that artists' property rights must be protected. He also raised concerns that building new datacentres could harm biodiversity and increase household power costs, urging a sustainable approach to sovereign AI capability as Australia prepares a new AI policy package.
Australian Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan has expressed strong concerns regarding the approach of both major political parties toward AI policy, specifically regarding potential changes to copyright law and the rapid expansion of datacentres.
McLachlan argued that watering down copyright to allow AI companies to scrape creative works amounts to treating machines as more valuable than human art, pointing out that constitutional challenges regarding the illegal acquisition of property are being mooted. While tech firms like Anthropic advocate for an 'opt-out' model to ingest music, books, and journalism, local recording industries and several lawmakers have pushed back.
Beyond copyright, McLachlan and environmental groups highlighted that the massive growth of datacentres will likely increase carbon emissions and household energy bills, while threatening biodiversity. The federal government is expected to unveil a comprehensive AI policy package before the end of the year, which includes measures for a new AI safety regulator.
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