Australians are worried about the rise of AI – and they have every right to be.

A recent survey of MEAA members in the creative and media industries found that 71% are extremely concerned about the loss of human-led creativity.

Big Tech and AI developers—including Meta, Google, and OpenAI—have scraped millions of images, songs, articles, and films without consent, compensation, or knowledge. This isn’t innovation—it’s theft. These business models displace human work and undermine the integrity of our cultural and media landscape.

That’s why we are now demanding these big AI developers pay up!

Why it matters:

• Accuracy and ethics at risk: AI-generated content can spread misinformation and erode public trust.
• Human creativity undermined: artists, writers, performers, and media professionals are being replaced by machine-made imitations.
• Jobs and integrity threatened: without strong protections, the creative and media workforce—and the democratic role it plays—will be hollowed out.

We need strong laws to protect Australia’s creative and media workforce. AI developers must be forced to pay for the theft and displacement of work.

That’s why MEAA is demanding these big AI developers pay up – with compensation passed on to creative and media workers.

How You Can Get Involved

1. Share the message on social media
   Follow MEAA on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn and support the campaign by sharing our posts with your network.
2. Join MEAA
   Join thousands of creative and media professionals standing together for fair treatment, fair pay and strong protections. Become a member today.
3. Add your voice to the campaign.
   Record a video sharing your concerns about AI theft, and ask the Big Tech companies to Pay Up! Upload it here.

Download and print out a copy of this poster for your workplace as a PDF or share the image on your social media.

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