The federal government’s National AI Plan is aimed at the whole economy, and advertising barely rates a mention. That, as argued in Mumbrella, is precisely the problem.
The creative industries are among the most exposed to generative AI, and among the quietest in the policy conversation. Decisions being made now — about skills funding, safety standards and how copyright is treated — will shape the working lives of writers, designers and producers for a decade.
Here is the uncomfortable part. If the sector does not show up, the rules will be written around it by people who do not make ads for a living.
Where we land
The plan’s instinct to spread the benefits through workforce uplift is the right one, but generic digital-skills programs will not cut it for a craft-based industry. Creative workers need training that treats AI as a tool in a creative process, not a replacement for one.
Copyright is the fight that matters most. Australian creative work has value precisely because someone made it, and any framework that lets that work be scraped without consent or credit hollows out the industry it claims to support.
So the takeaway is simple. Adland spends a lot of energy debating whether AI is good or bad for creativity. The more useful question is who gets to write the rules — and whether the people who make the work will be in the room. Will you be?
Sources: Mumbrella
