Australia's national broadcaster has rejected calls to relax copyright law for AI companies. The ABC told a parliamentary inquiry that the current laws are fit for purpose. Kate Gilchrist, the ABC's head of content and legal operations, said AI companies can negotiate licences like anyone else.

She pushed back against an "opt-out" idea, saying it would place an unfair burden on rights holders. Asked whether AI firms had used ABC content without paying, she said she expected there was a likely possibility the broadcaster had been scraped. She added that the ABC had no conclusive evidence.

The inquiry follows calls from OpenAI and Anthropic to relax Australian copyright rules so AI models can train on local content. The ABC also said it had no plan to replace newsreaders with AI-produced alternatives. The inquiry is one of several looking at AI in Australia.

The inquiry is one of at least four state and federal probes into AI in Australia. Media reports say the government was considering an opt-out clause. Gilchrist said rightsholders cannot be expected to scour the internet to opt out.

She said the copyright system already manages AI licensing.