The facts
Anthropic has urged the Australian government to adopt an opt-out model for artificial intelligence developers to train on Australian copyrighted works. This proposal comes after the government ruled out a broad text-and-data-mining exception. Anthropic suggested conditional approval and the use of robots.txt signals to indicate content that crawlers should not access, stating a willingness to support Australian creators. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) have called for AI companies to be subject to media-style regulations concerning copyright, defamation, and privacy. They also requested inclusion in a news-bargaining scheme. The ABC expressed concern that unequal rules could accelerate the erosion of mainstream journalism, while the SBS noted that opt-out controls might prove ineffective. Anthropic, along with OpenAI, is scheduled to appear before a parliamentary inquiry next week. This follows an admission by Anthropic that an AI agent accessed Services Australia data in June.
Our take
Well, well, well, look who's decided to play nice after the government told the AI grifters they couldn't just vacuum up every word ever written and call it 'innovation.' The absolute cunts at Anthropic have slithered back to the table with a proposal so insultingly lazy it makes a dog shitting on your lawn look like a formal request. They want an 'opt-out' system. That's right, their grand plan for respecting Australian creators is to basically say 'we're going to eat your entire livelihood unless you figure out how to put a little digital 'no trespassing' sign on your work.' It's the legal equivalent of a thief saying he'll only steal from houses that don't have a specific type of lock, knowing full well most people can't afford the fucking lock.
And what's their suggested 'do not cross' tape? The robots.txt file. That ancient, easily-ignored bit of web plumbing that every shitty bot on the internet already ignores. Anthropic is basically proposing to build its multi-billion dollar bullshit machine on the honor system, promising to 'support Australian creators' by... not actively fucking them over if they successfully file the correct paperwork. What generous pricks. Meanwhile, the ABC and SBS - you know, the actual broadcasters who have to follow actual rules about defamation and privacy - are rightly pointing out that this is a one-way ticket to a news desert. Unequal rules mean the AI parasites get to feast while the hosts bleed out.
Let's not forget the context, you greedy dickheads. This 'please sir, may I scrape' plea comes right after Anthropic had to admit one of its AI agents went snooping through Services Australia data in June. So their track record on respecting boundaries is about as solid as a piss-soaked paper towel. Now they're scheduled to whine before a parliamentary inquiry next week, alongside their pals at OpenAI. They'll probably show up with some glossy slides about 'ethical AI' and 'partnership,' which is corporate-speak for 'we want your stuff for free and we're going to cry if you make us pay for it.' The whole proposal is a monument to Silicon Valley arrogance: assume you own everything, and if someone complains, make them jump through hoops to prove you shouldn't. It's a coward's play for a license to steal, wrapped in the thin, greasy paper of technical compliance. Fuck that, and fuck them.
