27/09/2023

The APA has today released a statement responding to the rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), as creative industries and education sectors around the world grapple with the shifts the new technologies represent.

While offering potentially transformative opportunities and efficiencies, AI technologies unquestionably present serious legal and ethical challenges. Australia’s creative and knowledge sectors are particularly vulnerable to these challenges, and it is imperative that AI regulation in Australia strikes the correct balance so that both AI development and our cultural industries can flourish. 

The APA is urging our governments to ensure that any legislative or policy developments in relation to AI have regard to the following core principles: 

1. Policies must be underpinned by a clearly defined ethical framework 
2. Transparency is key
3. Ensure appropriate incentives and protections for creators and rights-holders
4. Policy settings should balance technological advancement with societal and cultural responsibilities

In the statement we include recommendations across those four principles, designed to ensure safe, ethical and fair development of AI technologies. Considerations across each of those areas include:

Ethical frameworks

Any development of AI and associated technologies must be done in service of humanity. AI developers and users must be required to adhere to a robust ethical framework that places human rights and dignity at its core. The APA endorses the federal government’s AI Ethics Principles. 

Transparency

AI training practices and generative AI outputs risk undermining the livelihoods of creators and the creative workforce, while posing a threat to the integrity of science and research and potentially embedding societal biases or misinformation. Strict transparency parameters must be put in place to guide AI developers and users.

Protecting the rights of creators and copyright holders

Australia’s creative and knowledge ecosystem relies on a robust legislative and policy framework that appropriately acknowledges creators and rightsholders. These mechanisms must be continued in AI policies, upholding the integrity of Australia’s intellectual property (IP) framework, and honouring commitments to support Australia’s cultural industries under Revive: the National Cultural Policy.

Balanced policy settings

AI technologies that will impact millions of Australians are controlled by a handful of commercial organisations, mostly based overseas. Regulations, policy, standards and guidelines should be created in close consultation with stakeholders across the community, including publishers, authors and other affected rights-holders. 

Learn more

Read the APA statement and recommendations on AI developments.