ABC Tells Australian AI Inquiry Its Content Has Likely Been Scraped
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) told a parliamentary inquiry on Tuesday that AI companies (read this guide) have probably already used its content to train their models. The public broadcaster also stated that AI firms can enter into license agreements to utilize its work.
Kate Gilchrist, the ABC’s head of content and legal operations, provided evidence to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence in Sydney. Australia currently has multiple state and federal AI inquiries underway.
"I do not think we have conclusive evidence that we have been scraped, but I expect that there is a likely possibility that we have been," Gilchrist told the inquiry, referring to AI content scraping.
In her opinion, existing copyright law is sufficient for AI because AI firms can acquire licenses from content owners. The ABC and SBS made similar arguments in their written submissions, also advocating for AI firms to pay for Australian news.
Gilchrist opposed an opt-out model, where AI firms could use content unless the owner objects. Australian media have reported that the government is considering such a clause, as outlined in a leaked options paper. Such a rule would place the burden on rights holders, according to Gilchrist, as the ABC cannot comprehensively opt out on every website.
The government has already rejected a broad exception allowing AI firms to train on copyrighted work for free. Attorney-General Michelle Rowland made this decision public in October 2025.
When asked if the ABC would replace its newsreaders with AI, David Sutton, a senior policy executive, stated that the broadcaster has no plans to do so. He added that AI might be utilized in certain aspects of program production.
OpenAI and Anthropic also presented before the committee later in the day. Both companies advocate for Australia to relax copyright rules to enable them to train on local content. Anthropic claimed no signs of its products breaching Australian government systems and expressed openness to Australian laws mandating AI companies to report data breaches.