Senior executives from OpenAI and Anthropic were meeting with federal ministers just as its proposals to rewrite copyright law for AI leaked to the public.
The Albanese government has been trying to thread the needle of enticing AI companies to grow their investment in Australia, while also addressing concerns about the risk and harms associated with the AI boom.
AI companies have said Australia's copyright government is a sticking point over plans to invest here.
Earlier this week, senior ministers met with senior US executives of the two top AI companies, Anthropic's special international envoy, Jeffrey Bleich, and OpenAI's vice president of global policy, Ann O'Leary, amid their push for an Australian expansion.
After ruling out a broad exemption for AI companies to train their models on copyrighted materials in Australia late last year, the ABC revealed yesterday the government held secret consultations earlier this month that would pave the way for AI companies to train their models in Australia.
Under one option, AI companies could gain permission after striking a minimum number of deals with rights holders, without paying other creators whose work they used.
A spokesperson for Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told the ABC on Tuesday the government was consulting creators, media organisations and AI companies about options intended to give creators control and fair payment.
OpenAI also confirmed on Tuesday it was participating in the consultations and said it was committed to working constructively with the government, creators and industry.
In a submission to the government's AI inquiry released today, OpenAI explicitly stated that Australia's copyright settings were a factor in its plans to grow its Australian presence.