Father Paolo Benanti, Pope Leo's AI adviser, warns Australia's AI copyright changes risk a 'new form of colonialism'

Australia risks a “new form of colonialism” if it lets AI companies train on its creative work without permission. That’s the warning from Father Paolo Benanti, the Franciscan friar who advises Pope Leo XIV on AI, in an interview with ABC’s 7.30 on October 14, 2026.

He was asked about Australia considering copyright changes to attract AI training. His answer: “You go, you take resources, and you monetise it outside the place where the resources [were].”

What Father Paolo Benanti told ABC about Australia’s AI copyright changes

Benanti compared the risk to Europe’s colonial history, when resources were taken from other countries and turned into money somewhere else. In his version, Australian writing becomes the resource, foreign AI companies do the taking, and the profits and the tax revenue end up overseas.

He framed it as questions he’d want answered before voting on any change.

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So is this fair? Is this something that will produce real richness or pay back to Australia? I don't know.

Benanti studied engineering before becoming a Franciscan friar and a professor of technology ethics. He advised Pope Francis on AI, and he now advises Pope Leo, who released his first encyclical on AI, Magnifica Humanitas, in May. Earlier this month the Pope also called for an alliance with artists, saying algorithms “lack the spark of humanity.”

He was in Australia as a guest of the Italian Embassy and met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week. He praised Australia’s moves to regulate social media and AI, including the teen social media ban, and said other countries should follow.

Where Australia’s AI copyright debate stands in October 2026

The official line hasn’t changed on paper. Canberra ruled out an AI training exemption in October 2025, and in June Attorney-General Michelle Rowland told 7.30 there are “no plans to weaken copyright protections when it comes to AI.”

But the pressure runs the other way:

• In September, the ABC reported that the Attorney-General’s department was quietly consulting on changes that would let AI companies train on copyrighted content unless its owner opted out.
• This week, parliament’s AI committee wrote to Albanese saying copyright is “not facilitating” licensing deals, and ARIA and PPCA called that wrong, pointing to 27 AI licensing deals with the music industry.
• The committee’s final report is due in November 2026.

An opt-out is also what the UK proposed and then dropped in March 2026. If your catalogue earns in Australia, the November report is the next thing to watch.