OpenAI, Anthropic push Australia to ease AI training restrictions

OpenAI and Anthropic have urged the Australian government to reconsider restrictions on the use of copyrighted Australian creative content to train artificial intelligence models.

OpenAI and Anthropic have urged the Australian government to reconsider restrictions on the use of copyrighted Australian creative content to train artificial intelligence models.

The two AI companies have proposed a conditional approach that would allow them to train models on Australian content while imposing requirements aimed at supporting local creators and the country’s creative industries. They argue that a more flexible copyright framework could encourage greater AI investment in Australia.

The calls come as governments around the world grapple with how to regulate artificial intelligence while balancing technological investment with the rights of artists, authors, publishers and other copyright holders.

In submissions to a parliamentary inquiry in September, Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model, acknowledged the restrictions but supported a form of conditional approval for AI training.

“As an alternative, we believe that the government could permit AI model training through a narrow form of conditional approval,” Anthropic said.

The company added that if Australia required “investment or other conditions designed to support the future of Australian creators and cultural endeavours,” it would be open to considering those conditions.

OpenAI called for “a balanced copyright framework that allows models to learn from publicly available information.”

The submissions put additional pressure on the Australian government as it weighs the demands of AI developers against concerns from creators and copyright holders.

Creators and rights groups have strongly opposed allowing commercial AI companies to train models on their work without consent or compensation. The government has been consulting AI companies, creators and media organisations on possible changes to copyright rules.

The debate also has implications for investment. OpenAI has indicated that Australia’s copyright settings are a factor in its plans to expand its presence in the country, while Anthropic has also identified copyright rules as an important consideration for its Australian operations.

Separately, Australia is developing national standards for AI and data centres, covering areas such as safety, environmental impacts and infrastructure. The government has said it hopes to legislate the standards early next year, with consultation on the proposals continuing.