Federal politician David Pocock has clashed with a senior Albanese government minister over a whistleblower claim that federal cabinet is considering plans to let AI companies train on Australian copyright material.
Industry and Science Minister Tim Ayres accused Mr Pocock in Parliament of "reckless speculation" for airing the claim, while Mr Pocock said Mr Ayres did not deny or reject the claims.
At the centre of the stoush was Mr Pocock's allegation that the highest level of government is confidentially considering two competing proposals to change copyright policy for AI training.
Mr Pocock said one proposal being seriously considered would create a copyright "carve-out" for AI companies tied to billions of dollars of data centre investment and hundreds of millions of dollars annually for a creative fund.
The other submission would instead expand licensing agreements that would clear the way for AI companies to legally use Australian material to train their proprietary technology.
Mr Pocock told the ABC that a "credible source" had provided detailed information to his office about the high-level plans.
"One cabinet submission would effectively allow AI companies to text and data-mine Australian creatives' work in return for a multi-billion data centre investment and expedited approvals,"
he said.
The ABC has not independently verified the...
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