The Australian Society of Authors welcomes the recommendations handed down in the final report of the Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI), which include a clear call for transparency around the use of copyright works in AI training, and fair compensation for creators.

The report recognises the pressing need for new whole-of-economy legislation to regulate AI and protect the livelihoods of Australian creators – including authors and illustrators – acknowledging the “unprecedented theft of their work by multinational tech companies.”

ASA CEO Lucy Hayward says, “The Senate report provides a welcome recognition of the enormous harm generative AI poses to creators through the unauthorised and unremunerated use of their work, as well as a clear path forward for Government regulation. What is at stake is not only the sustainability of author and illustrator careers in Australia, but the richness and diversity of Australian literature. We applaud the Committee’s support of Australian authors and illustrators and their vital work.”

While nearly all of the recommendations made in the report are relevant to the creative industries, of particular importance to creators are the recommendations that the Australian Government:

• continue to consult with creative workers, rightsholders, and their representative organisations through the CAIRG on appropriate solutions to the unprecedented theft of their work by multinational tech companies operating within Australia.
• 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 licenced and paid for.
• 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.

The committee, established in March of this year, was tasked with exploring the opportunities and impacts of artificial intelligence for Australia, given recent trends and developments in the use of different types of AI across various sectors of society. The ASA made a submission to the Committee calling for the Government to set ground rules on accountability, transparency, and fair compensation.

The ASA is grateful to the Committee for their work. We look forward to continuing consultation with Government and the CAIRG to implement these recommendations and protect the livelihoods of Australian authors and illustrators.