ARIA Warns Australian Politicians on AI Lobbying and Copyright Demands
The Australian Recording Industry Association's CEO states that proposals from OpenAI and Anthropic could devastate the music industry and impact global rights.
By Letizia Giugliano
2 min readHuman-Edited, AI-Assisted
Annabelle Herd, CEO of the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), recently criticized lobbying efforts by major artificial intelligence (AI) companies OpenAI and Anthropic before an Australian parliamentary committee. Herd warned that proposals to train AI agents without adhering to local copyright laws could severely harm the music industry and establish Australia as a global outlier for rights holders.
ARIA CEO Addresses Joint Select Committee
This week, Annabelle Herd appeared before Australia's Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. During her testimony, she directly criticized the lobbying objectives of two prominent AI companies, OpenAI and Anthropic, within Australia. Herd highlighted concerns that these companies are seeking agreements that would allow them to train their advanced AI agents, known as frontier AI agents, in Australia without complying with the country's existing copyright laws [1].
“OpenAI and Anthropic want the Australian Government to sign up to a deal to train their frontier AI agents here on the proviso that they don’t have to abide by our copyright laws.”
— Annabelle Herd
AI Companies' Demands and Rationale
According to Herd, OpenAI and Anthropic are proposing a deal where they could train their AI models in Australia, provided they are exempt from local copyright legislation. She stated that the companies justify this by claiming it would be 'too costly and complex to work with rights holders.' Herd countered this argument, asserting that using the 'status quo isn't working' as a reason to alter copyright law is problematic, comparing it to legalizing mass piracy rather than addressing it [1].
Potential Devastation for the Music Industry
Herd issued a strong warning about the potential consequences if the desired rules of these AI companies were to be implemented. She predicted that such a move 'would devastate the music industry' in Australia. Furthermore, she suggested it would make Australia 'a pariah for rights holders globally,' indicating a significant negative impact on the country's international standing within the intellectual property landscape [1].
Global Implications of Australia's Stance
ARIA's CEO also suggested that Australia is a key target for these lobbying efforts due to its potential influence on global developments, particularly in legal and political arenas. Herd explained that if Australia were to decide there is no licensing market, effectively 'upend[ing] the global licensing market,' it could support these AI companies in their ongoing lawsuits in the United States. She questioned whether such an outcome would truly serve Australia's national interests [1].
Call for Negotiation, Not Legislative Change
Instead of legislative changes that would alter copyright laws, Herd urged the AI companies to 'come to the negotiating table, not to the Prime Minister’s office.' This call emphasizes ARIA's preference for direct engagement and fair licensing agreements with rights holders, rather than seeking exemptions through political means [1].
