Independent Senator David Pocock has asked the Prime Minister to ban tech companies from using Australian books, music, films and other creative works to train their artificial intelligence, without asking permission first.

Here is what's already supposed to happen under Australian law: if a tech company wants to use an Australian creative work to train AI, it has to get permission from whoever made it — the author, musician, filmmaker or artist. Australia has no special exemption that lets companies grab content for AI training without asking. So Pocock is not trying to create a new rule. He wants the government to make sure the rule that exists is actually enforced, and to spell it out clearly in new legislation.

Back in October 2025, the Attorney-General Michelle Rowland said no to a proposal that would have let tech companies use copyrighted material for AI training without paying anyone. That was the straightforward part. What Pocock is asking now is harder: actual new law with real penalties if companies break it.

Pocock has also pushed for rules against deepfakes — those disturbing fake videos or voice recordings made to impersonate real people. Both ideas fit together: protect Australian content going in, and stop it being misused coming out.

The government has set up a couple of things to work on this. It created the Australian AI Safety Institute in November 2025, and the Attorney-General's Department started a working group called CAIRG in October 2025 to figure out how AI and copyright should work together. But the government is taking its time and not saying much publicly yet.

Pocock is pushing faster. By writing directly to the Prime Minister instead of waiting for the working group to finish, he is applying pressure and making this harder to ignore. It is a smart move for an independent senator — not many votes, but real power on a government that needs Senate support.

The underlying problem is genuinely tough to solve. A ban on using Australian content for AI training without permission would be unusually strong, even compared to other countries. And enforcing it against overseas companies is complicated. Australian creators — writers, musicians, filmmakers, artists — have been clear they want recognition and payment for their work, but they do not all agree on the best way to do that. Some want a licensing system. Others want an outright ban on copying their work without permission, with serious penalties.

For the government, this is tricky. Labor has relationships with both the creative industries and the tech sector. It wants Australia to attract AI investment while also protecting Australian storytellers and artists. The Attorney-General's October decision not to give tech companies a free pass was the easier choice. What Pocock is asking for is tougher: new law that would put Australia at odds with how every major AI company currently works.

When and how the Prime Minister responds will tell us how serious the government is about this before an election comes around.