Coalition of creative industry bodies address AI concerns to government

The rare coalition of creative industry organisations – groups including news media, music, written work, movies and television – has declared concerns over generative AI.

A protester holds a sign that reads AI is Soulless as part of ongoing writers and actors strikes in the US over industrial disputes, where AI replacement is a key concern. Picture: Getty Images

A rare coalition of 21 creative industry organisations has raised concerns with key government ministers about generative AI – specifically concerns over copyright and intellectual property.

The group includes APRA AMCOS; News Corp, publisher of The Australian; and the Australian Writers Guild.

There already are creative jobs being replaced by ChatGPT, and industries fear more job displacement and loss of revenue as AI systems that can produce writing, images, videos, voices and music improve and are more widely adopted.

This comes amid the first public messages of concern from the broader creative industry, with the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance – the peak union – warning “it is conceivable that many of our members could be replaced by various versions of generative AI”.

“MEAA has particular concern for our members working in journalism, content creation, design, screen performance, as voice-over artists and as musicians,” the union’s submission to the government’s AI regulation consultation states.

The creative industries letter, sent in the past few weeks, was referenced in APRA AMCOS’ submission to a separate House of Representatives inquiry into generative AI in education.

APRA AMCOS represents more than 115,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers.

“APRA AMCOS, alongside 20 other signatories from creative industries, recently wrote to (Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic, Arts Minister Tony Burke, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus) outlining our general concerns with generative artificial intelligence platforms, products, and services,” the submission states.

“From the outset, we believe generative AI has huge potential to empower human expression. APRA AMCOS is certainly not opposed to the technology itself and we are currently exploring the use of machine learning technology in our own business.”

Australia’s creative industries have been relatively quiet about AI since the release of ChatGPT last November compared with international counterparts.