As warnings mount about the existential threats of unregulated AI technology, the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) has joined forces with international writers’ organisations and other creative industry bodies to launch a global charter setting out commitments to the responsible and ethical use of generative AI services. 

Recent warnings from inside AI tech companies have heightened concerns about the risks posed for humanity if developments continue at pace without significant guardrails.   

With governments across the globe still not committing to AI regulation and oversight, the ASA has worked with the Society of Authors UK, the Authors Guild in the United States, the Writers’ Union of Canada, the New Zealand Society of Authors, and the Creators’ Rights Alliance (CRA) in the UK, to create a Charter of Ethical AI Use in the Creative Industries.  

This Charter aims to define how generative AI services should be deployed to help protect and support human creators. All creative industry organisations and professionals are invited to sign up to the Charter.

ASA CEO, Lucy Hayward, says, “Leaders around the world have recognised the need for global guardrails for AI companies, but comprehensive regulation is yet to be introduced. That’s why we’ve partnered with international authors’ organisations to set out the ethical standards for use of generative AI services, to protect and promote human authorship.

“The Charter won’t help to address the large-scale theft of authors’ work by Big Tech to train their tools, nor will it halt AI developers’ rapacious efforts to gut copyright protections around the world – but it is a step towards preventing further harm and supporting responsible best practice in the creative industries.”