Albanese unveils AI policy with new office, pledges copyright protections for creatives

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has delivered a major address on artificial intelligence in Sydney, announcing the creation of a new Office of AI and drawing a parallel between the current technological shift and the renewable energy transition. The speech aimed to address growing concerns about social license and the need for policy guardrails, particularly around data centers and the use of copyrighted material by big tech, as reported by The Guardian.

The GuardianAlbanese to compare pivotal moment in AI to renewable energy transition as he outlines approach

"Albanese will describe the progress of AI as an inflection point for society on par with the renewable energy transition."

While the prime minister outlined a vision for protecting Australian creators, the speech did not provide an update on specific copyright reforms, according to The Guardian and machinebrief.com. Instead, Albanese emphasized that the government is taking control of AI policy through the newly established Office of AI, which Startup Daily described as an effort to pitch guardrails as "investor bait" amid the push for data centers.

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machinebrief.comAI: The New Energy Revolution, But Artists Might Get Left BehindStartup DailyAlbanese takes control of ‘Office of AI’ amid data centre push

Albanese was emphatic, however, that Australian writers, musicians, artists, and journalists will retain copyright to their works. According to Billboard, he assured the music community that tech companies would not be allowed to use copyright-protected content, including music, to train AI systems without the artist's consent. "Australian laws will clearly spell out these protections," the prime minister said, as Billboard noted.

"Albanese has reaffirmed that Australia's creators and the copyright laws protecting them are central to the country's future."

Rolling StonePM Anthony Albanese Announces Office of AI to Protect Australian Creators

The response from major AI companies was swift. Forbes Australia reported that Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google all reacted to the announcement, with the outlet noting that the tech giants' statements came after Albanese's firm stance on copyright. The Nightly described the task of taming AI and big tech as "nearly impossible," but the prime minister's speech nonetheless signaled a clear direction for Australia's approach to the technology.

Forbes AustraliaAnthropic, OpenAI, Google respond to Albanese’s AI announcement