Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declared he will fight to protect Australian creative work from big tech companies in an ambitious new plan to navigate artificial intelligence.

The PM declared in a landmark speech on Wednesday that he would introduce a world-first national framework to Parliament by early next year and establish a dedicated “Office of AI” in his department in a bid to take back control.

As the technology transforms sectors and stokes fears over job security, intellectual property, and national security, the PM declared it’s not too late to intervene to “seize, shape and share” on the opportunities.

While stricter rules for building data centers Down Under were expected, Mr Albanese surprised many by also vowing to protect creative works from being scrapped by AI models.

“Setting the terms means that we can put in place the strongest possible protection for Australian artists and Australian media,” the PM said.

“Australian writers, musicians, artists, and journalists must retain ownership and control of their work.

“A company shouldn’t use Australian books, music, art, or news to build or train AI without the artist’s control, and that includes the artist’s control of the price and value of their work.

“Anything less is theft.”

The move has been welcomed by the creative industry, with West Australian Music boss Owen Whittle saying technology was eroding the industry.

With AI already stealing work in the past few years, Mr Whittle questioned whether the government would either force removals from platforms and training models or if there would be compensation.

“What happens to work which has already been stolen? Will tech oligarchs be forced to remove it or will there be penalties and compensation?,” he said.

Mr Albanese admitted “no country has got this right yet” and that it could be a hard and long road ahead.

“It is not our goal to try and legislate for every possible eventuality or risk,” he said.

“This is about having the flexibility to keep pace with change and get out in front of it.”

Under the plan, Australia would seek to safeguard residential areas from data centre construction and also require tech companies to pay if they need additional resources like water and energy.

The PM noted a set of expectations for data centre construction released in March as something the government would seek to harden into more mandatory requirements.

The expectations had asked tech firms to prioritise hiring Australians when building infrastructure, using clean energy, contributing to local innovation, and not adversely impacting communities they’re built in.

“We can set the terms. We can determine AI’s social license, but we have to do it now. We cannot revisit this issue after companies have built whatever they want, wherever they want, and try to then reopen negotiations,” he said.

“Consider what international investors look for, and then think about what we have,” he said.

“World-class universities producing skilled graduates and high-quality research, the traditional resources, critical minerals, and rare earths that are essential, space to build, sunlight to power affordable, reliable, renewable energy.

“Strong bonds with the fastest-growing region of the world in human history, just to our north.

“A legal and financial system at the top of the global ladder for integrity, the security of transactions, timeliness of payments, and smart use of technology, and underpinning it all, stable democracy.”

With State and Territories key to approvals, the PM said he would convene a national cabinet meeting in August to speak with premiers and chief ministers about the AI standards.

He had attributed the decision to keep the new AI office in his department to the national nature of the challenge ahead and the reach of AI across all government portfolios.

However, the PM noted Labor frontbenchers Andrew Charlton and Tim Ayres as ministers to help lead the Albanese government’s response.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor accused the PM of trying wrap AI and the benefits it could deliver to Australian productivity in bureaucracy.

But the PM insisted that Australia setting standards for itself would instead “enhance our appeal to international investors” and pitched the country as an ideal location for an AI boom.

He highlighted Australia’s politically stability, location on the doorstep of Asia, and abundance of sun for solar power as enticing selling points for the nation.

Greens Senator David Shoebridge was cataleptic that Labor would put the interest of big tech companies ahead of Australians and called for an independent AI regulator.

He also flagged part of Mr Albanese’s speech which indicated that key government data, like information for smart traveller and emergency information could be fed into large language models.

“If this government was serious about accountability it would be building an independent AI regulator with real statutory powers, not just another door inside the PM’s office for tech lobbyists to knock on,” he said.

“The PM today said he will allow government data to be consumed by US AI companies which raises real questions of consent, privacy and surveillance risk for every Australian.

It’s hard to see how that’s in the public interest.”

“He’s calling this an AI plan for Australia, but the future he’s mapped out is controlled by American billionaires, not Australian communities. What we got today was a red carpet for Meta, Palantir and Amazon, leading straight to the PM’s office.”