The screen industry has backed a Senate committee’s recommendations on adopting artificial intelligence (AI), which includes calls to pay creators when AI services use their copyrighted works.
The committee outlined 13 recommendations in its final report, including a call for transparency around the use of copyrighted works by AI developers and fair remuneration for creators. The report calls for a credentialing system for AI-generated content, enhanced transparency from tech platforms, and targeted regulatory reforms to prevent the misuse of AI in the creative industries.
“There is no part of the workforce more acutely and urgently at risk of the impacts of unregulated AI disruption than the more than one million people working in the creative industries and related supply chains,” the report said.
“If the widespread theft of tens of thousands of Australians’ creative works by big multinational tech companies, without authorisation or remuneration, is not already unlawful, then it should be. This question is complicated by the absolute lack of transparency that LLM developers have adopted in Australia and around the world. The notion put forward by Google, Amazon and Meta — that the theft of Australian content is actually for the greater good because it ensures the representation of Australian culture in AI-generated outputs — is farcical.”
That the Australian Government continue to consult with creative workers, rightsholders and their representative organisations through the CAIRG [Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Reference Group] on appropriate solutions to the unprecedented theft of their work by multinational tech companies operating within Australia.
Recommendation 8 – Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AWG and AWGACS Group CEO Claire Pullen said the Guild welcomes the committee’s strong support for creators.
“It’s gratifying to see the committee accurately describe the contradictory and farcical arguments of big tech companies that have taken Australian work without paying for it. It shouldn’t take a Senate committee to make it clear that this is stealing.”
An AWG survey found that 94 per cent of respondents expressed concern for their livelihoods if AI use continues in the industry without regulation.
“Australia’s storytelling is rich and we have a unique cultural identity, all at risk if we don’t adequately address the theft that has already taken place. Until this is achieved, any discussions of the opportunities AI may present to the industry are moot.”
That the Australian Government require the developers of AI products to be transparent about the use of copyrighted works in their training datasets, and that the use of such works is appropriately licensed and paid for.
Recommendation 9 – Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI)
APRA AMCOS CEO, Dean Ormston, applauded the committee for recognising the detrimental impact of AI on creative sector workers and for proposing ways to mitigate these risks.
“By acknowledging the significant harm generative AI can cause — both economically and culturally — the recommendations offer a pathway to protecting the creators who form the cultural backbone of this country. These are the people whose works enrich our lives and power an industry worth billions to our economy.”
APRA AMCOS’s AI and Music Report has previously warned that almost one-quarter (24 per cent) of Australian and New Zealand music industry revenue could be lost within the next four years if generative AI platforms continue to operate without proper licensing or consent.
The report also highlighted the significant risks to Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), with AI tools harvesting culturally sensitive materials without consent, threatening both cultural heritage and creators’ livelihoods.
Ormston also said the report reflects unanimous agreement across government, opposition and crossbench senators on the urgent need to address AI’s impact on music and the broader creative sector.
That the Australian Government urgently undertake further consultation with the creative industry to consider an appropriate mechanism to ensure fair remuneration is paid to creators for commercial AI-generated outputs based on copyrighted material used to train AI systems.
Recommendation 10 – Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Screen Producers Australia (SPA) CEO Matthew Deaner also supported the final report, particularly the recommendation to consult the creative industries on mechanisms for ensuring fair remuneration for creators and the development of a national approach to AI infrastructure that reflects the interests of all Australians.
“These recommendations provide a much-needed framework to ensure that AI benefits the entire creative ecosystem rather than undermining it,” he said.