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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
MIN READ
Researchers from Macquarie University Business School have published the findings from a 2024 survey investigating Australian authors’ and illustrators’ attitudes towards generative AI. The report, Australian Authors’ Sentiment on Generative AI, explores the use of creative works in AI training, understanding of AI tools, professional use of generative AI, and concerns about AI’s potential to disrupt creative industry labour.
There were 419 author and illustrator respondents to the survey, including emerging creators (47%), established creators (39%), and established creators working less intensively than they used to (12%). The survey was undertaken in late 2024, as publishers’ licensing deals with AI companies were being announced, but before the game-changing news of Australian authors’ books being included in Meta’s AI training dataset, LibGen.
Among the key findings were:
The findings demonstrate a widespread reluctance among Australian authors and illustrators to engage with generative AI. In particular, creators are averse to allowing their work to be used to generative AI tools, even if compensation were offered.
This is understandable in a context in which creators’ books and artworks have already been scraped and used to train generative AI tools, without their consent or compensation. Creators face the impossible challenge of having their work taken and used for free by some of the world’s wealthiest tech companies, or accepting payment for that use of their work – and thereby feeding the technology that is likely to displace their supplementary sources of income.
As the report states, the tension between AI developers and creators ‘reflects a wider imbalance of power, where individual creators often lack visibility or influence over how their work is used in developing AI technologies. If the advancement of AI is to be equitable and sustainable, this imbalance must be addressed through more inclusive and transparent systems.’
Download the full report at the Macquarie University website.
Our warm thanks to Macquarie University researchers Paul Crosby, Shujie Liang, Tessa Barrington, and Jordi McKenzie, as well as to the authors and illustrators who contributed to the survey.
Want to find out more about the ASA’s work on generative AI?
