OpenAI and Anthropic have petitioned the Australian government to relax regulations regarding the use of copyrighted local content for training artificial intelligence models. The companies submitted their proposals to a parliamentary committee currently reviewing the impact of AI on the nation's economy and intellectual property laws.
Anthropic suggested a narrow conditional approval framework, which could involve investment commitments to support local creators. OpenAI advocated for a balanced copyright regime that allows training on publicly available data while maintaining collaboration with rights holders. Both companies linked these regulatory changes to their future investments in Australian AI infrastructure.
OpenAI has signed a memorandum with local operator NEXTDC to develop the S7 hyperscale data center in Sydney. Meanwhile, Anthropic has secured its first Australian data center capacity agreement in Queensland. The Zerra DC campus, with a capacity of up to 2.16 GW, is scheduled to begin operations in 2027.
The parliamentary committee, established on August 20, is tasked with delivering a final report by November 30. The debate occurs amid skepticism from the Reserve Bank of Australia, whose governor, Michele Bullock, warned on September 22 that the AI investment boom could be a bubble, noting that data center construction currently contributes to inflationary pressure.
