Liberal Senator Warns Against Weakening AI Copyright for Corporate Investment

Liberal senator Andrew McLachlan urged the Australian government not to sacrifice artists' copyright for AI investment and warned that new datacentres should not take priority over environmental concerns. His comments come as Labor considers copyright changes within a broader AI policy package covering datacentres, online safety, energy and economic benefits. Legal experts have also raised the possibility that weakening copyright protections could amount to an unconstitutional acquisition of property.

Why it matters: Australian AI developers and deployers face a possible copyright regime change, and the constitutional question could shape how training-data rules are drafted and challenged.