Source: Global Banking & Finance

JAKARTA, July 17 — Indonesia is preparing sweeping changes to its copyright law in a draft bill that explicitly recognises artificial intelligence and would make AI-assisted works eligible for copyright only when they meet unspecified human involvement criteria, while excluding fully AI-generated works. The draft bans the use of AI to imitate a creator's "distinctive style," mandates disclosure when AI has been used in content creation, and subjects the use of copyrighted works for AI training to fair-use exceptions or licensing agreements. It would apply across a range of content types, including video games, photography, computer programs, journalism and films, and the draft does not define how much human contribution is required for protection.

The bill also creates new obligations and potential penalties for tech platforms: it would require compensation for aggregating, republishing or link-previewing news content and for using such content to train AI models, directing payments to state-supervised collective management organisations for distribution to publishers, and could expose non-compliant firms to sanctions such as revocation of local business permits. Government and industry reactions are mixed in the draft: an Indonesian law ministry official confirmed the bill's authenticity and framed it as the first explicit recognition of AI in Indonesian copyright law, while Google criticised the proposals as overly rigid and warned they could harm innovation; the draft remains not final and the government is seeking further input. The text references global comparisons and ongoing litigation abroad, noting cases alleging misuse of material to train AI systems and parallels with transparency rules such as those in the EU.