OpenAI has distanced itself from the Tech Council of Australia on the issue of copyright restrictions, with its chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane stating that the company's artificial intelligence models will be available in Australia regardless of the regulatory environment. Speaking at SXSW Sydney on Friday, Lehane addressed the geopolitics of AI and the global debate over using copyrighted material to train large language models.
Lehane's comments come after Scott Farquhar, CEO of the Tech Council and co-founder of Atlassian, argued that Australian copyright law deters investment from tech companies. The Productivity Commission has been examining whether to exempt technology firms from copyright rules that prevent data mining for AI training. However, Lehane insisted that OpenAI would operate in Australia under any legal framework, whether it adopts a US-style fair use approach or maintains stricter copyright protections.
Lehane also discussed the competition between the US and China in shaping global AI, suggesting that US-led frontier models would be built on democratic values, while Chinese models would likely reflect autocratic norms. He emphasised the importance of energy infrastructure, noting that the US and its allies, including Australia, would need to generate gigawatts of energy weekly to maintain a democratic lead in AI development.
Highlighting Australia's potential, Lehane pointed to its high AI user base, 30,000 developers, growing renewable energy sector, fibre optic connections with Asia, and membership in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. He expressed confidence that Australia could develop its own frontier AI capabilities.
