Sydney, Australia – A debate is intensifying in Australia over the economic and legal implications of artificial intelligence, specifically whether companies developing AI systems should compensate artists and writers for the use of their work in training these systems. The discussion comes as experts weigh whether AI represents a genuine “fourth industrial revolution” or is currently overhyped.
Dr. Barnet argues that requiring payment for training data would be financially unsustainable for AI companies like OpenAI, stating, ”They want everything for free.”
The Tech Council’s Mr. Kassabgi expressed hope for a “middle ground” between the AI industry and concerned creators, emphasizing the need for regulators and government to understand AI’s complexities and implement existing laws appropriately, rather than necessarily enacting new ones.
Apate,a company training chatbots using video content from platforms like youtube and Vimeo,secured permission from the platforms themselves but not from the original creators. Professor Kaafar of Apate indicated openness to a compensation model for creators and anticipates the company achieving profitability within several years, describing their work as building a “counterintelligence platform” and stating, “We’re weaponising AI for good.”
The debate is unfolding as Australia’s Productivity Commission recently released an interim report on AI, sparking backlash from the literary community concerned about copyright exceptions. This discussion is part of a week-long deep dive into AI airing on ABC TV’s The Business.