Majority of Australians Oppose AI Copyright Law Changes, New ARIA Poll Finds

New research commissioned by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) has found widespread opposition to changing copyright laws to allow artificial intelligence companies to use Australian creative works without permission.

Conducted by RedBridge Group, the survey of 1,524 Australians found that 78% want to retain existing requirements for AI companies to obtain permission before using copyrighted material, even if it means some companies choose not to train their models in Australia. Just 9% supported changing the law.

According to the research, 74% of respondents believe Australian creators should have the right to decide whether their work is used to train AI models, while 12% disagreed. 

Support for maintaining copyright protections was consistent across all demographic groups surveyed, with no age, gender, income or education category recording less than 65% support.

Even among the 33% of respondents who supported AI companies training their models in Australia, 82 per cent believed creators should retain control over how their work is used.

The survey also found that 78% believe AI companies should still be required to obtain permission when citing national security concerns.

ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd said the results reinforced the music industry's position on protecting intellectual property.

“If there was ever any doubt about where Australians stand on AI and copyright, this polling settles it: the AI industry has made its best arguments and Australians have rejected every one of them. Australians want creators to decide how their work is used and they will not trade that away for promises of investment or claims around national security," she said. 

“In July the Prime Minister said no company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist’s control and that anything less is theft. Australians agree with him by more than eight to one. That’s what our law currently says and it needs to stay that way.”

The debate has significant implications for Australia's recorded music sector, particularly as record labels and technology companies increasingly negotiate agreements governing the use of music in AI training.

ARIA said its submission to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence identified 18 existing licensing agreements between AI companies and the music industry, with a further nine signed since. Australian record labels and their artists are among those covered by the global agreements.

Herd also pointed to Goldman Sachs' Music in the Air 2026 report, which forecasts that AI licensing, music creation tools and emerging revenue opportunities could contribute approximately 10% of global recorded music revenues by 2035.

“This is not a market failure. It is a failure to acknowledge the market that already exists. AI companies are signing licensing deals with the music industry around the world,” Herd said.

She argued that removing permission requirements could undermine incentives for AI companies to negotiate licensing deals with rights holders. 

Beyond the music industry, the polling also examined the political implications of copyright reform. More than half of respondents (52%) said they would be more likely to support a political party that maintained existing permission requirements, compared with 14% who said they would be less likely.

RedBridge Group director Kos Samaras said the findings reflected unusually strong public sentiment. “In years of polling I have rarely seen public opinion this clear and this defined. Australians have picked a side, and it is the side of the musicians, writers and artists who make up our creative economy. The weight of these results reveal a massive social licence challenge facing all governments. A challenge they need to treat seriously.”