# AI stealing Indigenous Australian art, artist says

Digest AI · Policy & Regulation · published 2026-11-01T14:00:13Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/ai-stealing-indigenous-australian-art-artist-says

## Summary

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.

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.

## 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.

## Why it matters

The issue highlights how AI can erode cultural heritage and economic rights for Indigenous artists, raising questions about data sovereignty and copyright enforcement in a global digital marketplace. It forces governments and platforms to rethink protections for culturally sensitive content.

## Sources

1. [AI is stealing Indigenous Australian art and churning out ‘Temu slop’, artist says](https://theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/nov/02/ai-stealing-indigenous-australian-art-temu-slop-artist-says-ntwnfb) (The Guardian AI, 2026-11-01)

## Cite

Digest AI, "AI stealing Indigenous Australian art, artist says", 1 November 2026, https://digestai.news/story/ai-stealing-indigenous-australian-art-artist-says

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