Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly declined to directly answer whether his government will weaken copyright protections to benefit US artificial intelligence companies. Following a meeting with Apple chief executive Tim Cook in Silicon Valley, Albanese faced persistent questioning from ABC journalist David Speers about whether copyright laws would be diluted, but consistently deflected by emphasising principles rather than legislative commitments. The issue is significant as it occurs just days before Albanese is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the United Nations, where AI policy is expected to feature prominently.

Albanese's stated position centres on two key principles: creators must retain control over their intellectual property, and any use of that property must involve proper compensation. However, when directly asked whether this meant no changes to copyright law itself, Albanese avoided confirmation, instead saying he would "engage constructively on all of these issues." Earlier this year, Albanese had declared that "no company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist's control," but his recent refusal to rule out legislative changes suggests possible flexibility. The Prime Minister also acknowledged risks posed by rapid AI development and backed international efforts to establish safeguards, whilst cautioning that Australia cannot afford to fall behind in the sector.