Arabic version: لامبي تحذّر بشأن حقوق النشر للذكاء الاصطناعي ومراكز البيانات

According to The Guardian, independent senator Jacqui Lambie urged the government not to weaken copyright protections for artists in favour of technology platforms, while raising concerns about the timing of proposed rules for data centres.

Lambie told the Senate that big technology companies were “greedy” and “have no moral compass”, arguing they had the money to compensate creative workers but did not want to pay them. She was responding to a leaked memo reported by the ABC that indicated the government was considering an “opt-out” approach, under which artists would need to actively prevent AI systems from using their work rather than receiving automatic protection.

“Every time big corporations get a sniff of any regulation they threaten to leave the country,” Lambie said. Referring to efforts to change copyright laws, she compared big tech companies to “dinosaurs in Jurassic Park” that were “testing the fences”. She said the British government had rejected similar pressure to alter its copyright laws.

The senator welcomed the government’s consideration of legislation intended to ensure data centres do not use extra water and bring their own energy. But she said the proposed timetable was too slow, stating that laws would not be seen until January and parliament would not sit until February. She said this meant the changes would not happen before July 2027.

Lambie also warned that data centres already approved would not be covered because the proposed laws would not be retrospective. She said some companies were valued in trillions of dollars and had more money than nation states, adding that the issue was not an inability to pay but a lack of willingness to do so.