Copyright laws must change in the age of AI, the government demands. Artists say big tech companies should just pay according to existing laws

Artists and copyright holder groups are fighting back against changes to the law that will allow AI to train on copyrighted material, as the federal government comes under increasing pressure to reform the laws to pave the way for AI companies considering expanding into Australia.

Announcing the government’s new expectations for a data center yesterday, Deputy Technology Minister Andrew Charlton said that “the status quo on copyright and AI is not working” and that Australian copyrighted material is being “ripped off by overseas players”.