Tech Council holds member talks on copyright to find path forward on AI data centres
The lobbying group is caught between the interests of global tech giants and its local members who have expressed support for creative sectors.
The Tech Council of Australia is in discussions with its members over how to reform copyright laws while ensuring compensation for creative sectors as it pushes forward with a plan to attract lucrative investments for AI data centres.
The increasingly influential lobby group, which represents local tech firms such as Atlassian and Canva, as well as global tech giants such as Microsoft and OpenAI was not present at a Senate hearing into copyright reform this week, where creative groups lashed out over suggestions there should be text and data mining exceptions from copyright laws for AI platforms in Australia.
Macquarie analysts this week wrote that Australia's copyright laws are a "clear hurdle" to attracting data centre investments for AI. Australia is the only AUKUS treaty member without a Stargate deal, the investment bank noted, referencing OpenAI’s USD500 billion data centre build out.
In response to questions from Capital Brief about the status of its work on the issue, a spokesperson for the Tech Council revealed it is in talks with its members to find a path forward on copyright which allows AI platforms to train on copyrighted material and for creators to be paid for their work.
“Discussions with stakeholder groups and members are ongoing as we work toward an approach that reflects these priorities,” the spokesperson said.
