Albanese urges US and China to strike an AI deal so humans stay in control

In Cupertino en route to the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the US and China should cooperate on a global AI framework so “humans remain in control,” compared needed rules to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and left open Australian copyright changes (including a possible creator opt-out) to attract frontier AI investment.

POLITICS desk — The same week Washington and Beijing put AI on a trade-and-minerals agenda and Trump floated an “AI Force,” a US ally’s prime minister put a different ask on the record: the two giants should treat AI more like nuclear non-proliferation, and middle powers may trade copyright rules for a seat at the table. That is a cooperation lane, not a domestic Force lane.

Albanese told reporters there is “a need for a discussion about what the global framework is for the rollout of AI, because it is moving very quickly, and we need to make sure that humans remain in control.” He called AI a “global phenomenon” and said sitting on the sidelines was not an option.

He said the two major powers should cooperate and strike a deal “in the interests of humanity,” and compared that needed cooperation to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty — the 1970 pact meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. On ABC’s Insiders, recorded in Cupertino, he said: “The truth is they’re the big two giants here and so we want to see cooperation.” He also said President Trump “will act in the interests of the United States,” but “there’s a need for all of us to act in the interests of humanity.”

The stop was Apple Park in Cupertino. ABC says Albanese and Cook held a 45-minute closed-door meeting. The Prime Minister’s own Sunday media note — Working with Apple on online safety — confirms the Cook meeting and a parental-controls demonstration: tools for what children can see, who they can talk to, and when they can use apps. It says he will continue online-safety talks with international leaders at UNGA High-Level Week. UNGA is the UN General Assembly, the yearly gathering of world leaders in New York. He told ABC he would speak with like-minded leaders there about global AI rules.

He left the door open to changing Australia’s copyright laws to attract AI investment. Copyright here is the legal right to control a book, song, or other work. He said Australia needs to be “forward leaning” if it wants to help shape the technology, and that writers, musicians, and other creatives should keep control of their intellectual property and be paid for any use. This is a consultation, not a passed law.

ABC reported the government is consulting on proposals that tech firms including Anthropic and OpenAI have called a sticking point for investing in Australia. One option ABC has reported is a creator “opt-out” model: companies could train on copyrighted material unless the creator takes a step to block it — the reverse of today’s usual rule that a company must ask first. Train here means teaching a model on existing text, music, or art. The creative sector, the Coalition, and the Greens have criticized that direction as more favorable to tech firms and as undermining copyright. Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said intellectual-property holders “deserve a fair deal,” while also saying Australia can attract investment.

Same-day contrast only: ABC notes Trump has pushed back on slowdown talk and, ahead of a Trump–Xi meeting, said he would form an “AI Force.” Albanese used it as contrast — a US ally asking for a cooperation deal, not a domestic force. No summit outcome is on this card.

The separate PMO note confirms the Apple meeting and the digital-safety pitch. The US–China AI framing is from ABC’s on-record Cupertino comments and Insiders interview, with Bloomberg’s same-day wire as corroboration.

Plain English for the rest of the card: UNGA / United Nations General Assembly = the yearly New York meeting of world leaders. High-Level Week = the opening week when heads of government speak. NPT / nuclear non-proliferation treaty = the 1970 deal meant to stop the spread of nuclear weapons — Albanese’s analogy for AI rules, not a signed AI treaty. opt-out copyright = a proposed rule where a creator must object to keep work out of AI training, instead of a company asking first. frontier AI = the most capable new models labs are racing to build. This filing is the Cupertino ask plus the copyright consultation. A deal would have text and signatures. None were published.