Aussie arts guilds outraged at government’s AI inertia following Productivity Commission report
Australian arts and media organisations have expressed disappointment and dismay in the findings of the Productivity Commission’s interim report into the opportunities and dangers of AI.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) branded the Productivity Commission’s interim report – Harnessing Data and Digital Technology – as a blueprint for the “wholesale theft of Australia’s art, media, and cultural heritage that will do nothing more than further enrich the billionaires in Silicon Valley.”
In its report the independent advisory body to the federal government conceded there were risks accompanying AI, but warned that poorly designed regulation may pose limits to its development and adoption of the potential A$116bn (US$75b) in economic benefits, suggesting new regulatory measures should be delayed.
“Adding economy-wide regulations that specifically target AI could see Australia fall behind the curve, limiting a potentially enormous growth opportunity,” Productivity Commissioner Stephen King said.
Meanwhile the Australian Writers’ Guild said the report’s recommendations make conditions easier for big tech but doesn’t address the lost productivity and income for Australia and Australian creatives as a result of the infringement that has already taken place.
“The Productivity Commissioner has asked ‘Are our laws fit for purpose with AI?’ but the real question is, why should we change our laws to make things easier for foreign big tech, instead of making things better for Australian workers, people who actually produce things in Australia?” said Australian Writers’ Guild (AWG) and Australian Writers’ Guild Authorship Collecting Society (AWGACS) CEO Claire Pullen.
“It seems clear that the Productivity Commission favours weakening our existing laws,” Pullem added.
Pullen highlights the acute risk particularly to First Nations works, and any proposed Text and Data Mining (TDM) exception would fly in the face of the Productivity Commission’s own recommendations on fake First Nations art. She said publicly available generative AI tools can be made to generate counterfeits, without regard to cultural protocols, community consent, or remuneration.
MEAA chief Erin Madeley added that interim recommendations were akin to “throwing Australia’s creative and media workers under a bus”.
“There are no recommendations in this report that protect Australian workers or creative assets. Our members have serious concerns about the rapid and unregulated rise of AI and its impact on day-to-day work, job security, and future employment prospects, as well as the impact of the loss of human-led creativity for Australia’s unique culture,” she said.
The MEAA called on the government to reject the Productivity Commission’s “short-sighted proposals and stand up for Australian workers by introducing AI-specific regulation as a matter of urgency.”
It also rejected calls from the Commission to ‘pause’ steps to mandate the Federal Government’s proposed guardrails legislation. “Safeguards around transparency, labelling, and the attribution of liability are urgently needed to contain the potential harms of this technology.”
