Submission to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence
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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already changing how Australians create, distribute, discover and experience arts and culture. Government decisions now will determine whether AI strengthens Australian creativity and public participation or weakens creative livelihoods, rights and public trust.
The Australian Government should:
- make AI a core part of the next National Cultural Policy and require Cultural Ministers to review the settings regularly
- ensure Australia has fit-for-purpose copyright and intellectual property law for creative content used by AI
- fund cultural institutions and organisations to build practical AI literacy across Australia
- include creative workers and businesses in national AI workforce and small business measures.
The issue is immediate: government decisions will determine who benefits, who carries the risks and whether Australians trust AI and the content it produces.
This is not a choice between innovation and protection. Instead, it is about making sure AI is human-centred, and that Australians are empowered to use it in safe and inclusive ways that build trust instead of eroding it.
ANA’s analysis finds that:
- Australians already use AI to create and discover content, preserve language and heritage, moderate content, provide captions and transcripts, and classify collections. They remain cautious about how it is used.
- AI is already affecting incentives to create, freedom of expression, cultural inclusion and the way people connect with arts and culture.
- Governments must coordinate cultural, industry, education and technology policy, and align action across jurisdictions, to realise the benefits and manage the risks.
The approach to reform should consider both the risks and benefits of AI in arts and culture, alongside the interests and ambitions of different parts of the cultural and creative industries and audiences.
Risks
ANA analysis has highlighted two key risks for the use of AI, with implications for productivity:
- impact on the incentive to create
- impact on connections people have with arts and culture
Both go to concerns about trust – trust that creativity is valued (through, for example, remuneration and protection of copyright), and trust in what is created (ensuring that people can distinguish between human creations and those involving generative AI).
These risks sit in the broader context of low levels of trust in AI in Australia. The latest EY Global AI Sentiment Study highlights that while Australia’s use of and exposure to AI is rising, people are very cautious about its use, with Australia ranking “equal lowest for AI sentiment”, behind 21 other countries. Recent Minderoo research also found that while innovation is not opposed, “almost two-thirds of Australians continue to believe AI is moving too fast and most say the risks outweigh the benefits.”
Benefits
ANA analysis has also highlighted the benefits of AI, including the potential to:
- improve access to arts, culture and creativity
- help creators brainstorm and refine ideas
- connect audiences with content.
Used well, AI can expand the contribution of arts and culture to Australia’s prosperity, community connection, health, security and sustainability.