AI stealing Indigenous Australian art, artist says
AI is being used to scrape and repurpose Indigenous Australian art, turning it into generic items sold on platforms like Temu, Shein, and Amazon. Artist Sally Scales says the technology undermines agency and authenticity, calling it a theft of cultural knowledge. The article notes that AI has already been trained on works by Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave without compensation.
Key points
- AI scrapes Indigenous Australian art, selling it on Temu, Shein, Amazon without attribution.
- Sally Scales calls the practice a theft of agency and authenticity, citing training on Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave works.
- Prof Bowrey and Oliver Bown propose a Copyright Plus framework to force disclosure and give artists veto rights over AI scraping.
Experts warn that AI companies can hoover up any online content, including songs and paintings that contain sacred knowledge. The National Association for the Visual Arts and intellectual‑property specialist Prof Kathy Bowrey highlight the risk of cultural and economic harm. Bowrey and associate professor Oliver Bown propose a Copyright Plus framework that would force AI firms to disclose data sources and give artists a veto over scraping, plus a levy to fund a cultural fund.
The government has said it will not weaken copyright protections, and the attorney general’s spokesperson said it is committed to supporting Australian creatives. The debate continues as lawmakers consider how to protect First Nations intellectual property in an AI‑driven world.
AI is stealing Indigenous Australian art and churning out ‘Temu slop’, artist says
The Guardian AI · 1 November 2026
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This text was published by The Guardian AI and written by Tory Shepherd. It is reproduced here with attribution so you can read it in full; the rights remain with the publisher. Read it at the source ↗
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