‘A society is the sum of its stories. When these are stolen, repurposed, and fed into machines, it takes away our very humanity. Please join us in salvaging what is real, authentic and true.’ Tracey Spicer AM, author of ‘Man-Made’

‘…this goes far beyond whether your favourite author will be able to continue to write books you love. It attacks our very humanity! It is within the pages of novels (as with any form of art) we explore and understand what it means to be human. If we remove the human, we lose our humanity. And if we lose our humanity, we lose EVERYTHING.’ Sandie Docker, author, petition organiser, and literary festival director.

We the undesigned members of the Australian reading and writing community are appalled by the world-wide theft of millions of author’s works by some tech companies, to train their generative AI. It is clear the majority of Australian authors, of not only fiction, but also non-fiction, academic and scientific papers, traditionally and independently published, have been impacted by this.

This is an attack on our culture, on how we will see ourselves portrayed in literature, on our ability to contribute meaningfully to the academic and scientific communities.

According to The Atlantic, ‘court documents show that staff at Meta discussed licensing books and research papers lawfully but instead chose to use stolen work because it was faster and cheaper.’

It is horrifying this has been allowed to happen and we are concerned what this means to our Australian authors, and what it means for the rich and diverse literary culture we have in this country. Our stories, which shine a light on who we are as a society, are important, and should be protected. We do not want our stories written by robots.

We urge the Australian government and publishers to continue consulting with The Australian Society of Authors (ASA), and other relevant organisations, to fully understand the impact of this theft and implore you to take the following action.

·         Protect Australian stories by ensuring it is illegal for AI companies to use authors’ works to train generative AI without gaining the appropriate permissions and providing appropriate compensation if that permission is granted.

·         Ensuring there are real and enforceable consequences should the above be breached.

·         Making it mandatory for any book (in any format) published, sold, or available in Australia to carry a certification declaring if generative AI was used in its production. Similar to ‘Australian made’ certification in our supermarkets, ensuring readers can make informed decisions as consumers.

·         Investigate the avenues for legal repercussions for the for the companies who haven’t sought permissions, and seek appropriate compensation for the authors who’ve had their work stolen by those companies.

·         We acknowledge there are some AI companies currently working with publishers to seek appropriate permission and offer compensation, and we would like to see this practice furthered, in consultation with bodies like the ASA and the Copyright Agency, to ensure such partnerships are in the best interest of readers, writers, and publishers; become industry standard; and have standalone AI legislation put in place to protect copyright.

We plead with you to not let our world-class literary community die.

Protect our stories. Protect our culture. 

‘The fight against generative AI and the illegal and unauthorised use of copyrighted content by tech giants isn’t about holding back technology, it’s about ensuring the development of this technology operates within a legal framework that protects everyone from authors and creatives right through to the end user; everyday people.’ Jodi Gibson, author.

‘A very special bond exists between a reader and an author that is built on a transfer of emotions - a good book makes you feel sad, happy, angry, nostalgic. If we allow AI-generated books to proliferate, that bond will be broken forever. I don’t want to live in a world where my emotions are dictated by robots, do you? So, help me protect our beloved authors from having their work pillaged.’ Mercedes Maguire, supporter of Australian authors, avid reader and book reviewer for The Daily Telegraph. 

‘An author can create story that has heart, soul and is relatable. Human emotions cannot be artificially manufactured - they are lived and felt. AI is a sterile and formulated attempt to rob the readers of authenticity and the author of their talents.’ Happy Valley Books Read, book reviewers, bookstagrammers, avid readers, supporters of Australian authors

'Wealthy tech behemoths ripping off quiet creatives is only the tip of the AI iceberg. It’s time to draw a line in the sand before it’s too late.' Joanna Nell, author.