Labor Government Rules Out ‘Free Pass’ for Tech Giants to Mine Protected Content for AI Training

The Labor government has taken a firm stance against major technology companies in the escalating global debate over Artificial Intelligence (AI) and copyright. The government has ruled out allowing tech giants “free rein” to use copyrighted material—such as books, art, and journalism—to train their powerful AI models.

Protecting Creators

This decision is a major victory for the creative industries, including writers, artists, musicians, and news organizations. These groups have argued that tech companies are building multi-billion-dollar AI products by freely exploiting protected content, essentially cannibalizing the work without compensation or permission.

The government’s position suggests it will prioritize the rights of creators and content owners over the immediate interests of large AI developers.

The Legal Framework

The core issue revolves around “fair use” or “fair dealing” exceptions in copyright law. Tech companies have lobbied for broad exceptions that would let them use any publicly available data for AI training without licensing fees.

This sets a critical legal precedent for how the relationship between creativity and AI will be governed in the future.