Leaked slides show the Australian government weighing a plan to let artificial intelligence (AI) firms train on Australians' creative work unless owners opt out. Britain dropped a similar opt-out plan in March, after Paul McCartney, Elton John and hundreds of other artists fought the change.
The plan would flip copyright, the legal right that stops others from copying a work without asking. Creators, not AI firms, would have to act. OpenAI and Anthropic have linked potential Australian investment to copyright-law clarity. In October 2025, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland ruled out an AI training exemption, and ministers deny weakening copyright.
