Abstract
From a comparative perspective, this paper explores how the governments of the UK, Canada, Australia, and Singapore initially responded to the deployment of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in the creative industry (CI). It addresses how these governments balance the cultural goals of protecting the copyright of domestic artworks during the process of text and data mining and the economic goals of developing new AI services and products. This paper explores relevant documents, including campaign statements of artists’ associations, reports of relevant national and local public authorities, national newspapers, and art magazines. After discussing the initial responses by the four governments, the article highlights that their policies are constructed by (1) artists’ political resources to negotiate with relevant authorities, (2) dynamics and power balances between public authorities, and (3) historical paths constructing governments’ approaches towards the CI and cultural exemption.