Commonwealth Bank takes practical step on copyright and AI adoption
October 2, 2026
2nd October, 2026 — Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has become the first major Australian bank to sign a Copyright Agency Business Licence that includes permissions to use Australian newspaper text in workplace generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools.
CBA has taken a responsible approach to AI adoption, with Chief Executive Matt Comyn acknowledging the important role of copyright in providing Australian creators and rights holders with remuneration, while allowing rights to be licensed at scale so businesses can realise the benefits of GenAI tools.
The licence addresses an existing and important workplace practice. Research conducted by independent market research agency Fiftyfive5 on behalf of Copyright Agency in 2025 found that 64 per cent of white-collar employees surveyed had used generative AI for work. Among those users, 47 per cent included third-party material, such as published text and images, in AI prompts at least weekly. The findings highlight the need for businesses to establish clear permissions around these uses of content.
CBA Chief Executive Officer Matt Comyn, said:
“Responsible AI adoption includes considering how we use content. This licence gives our people the right to use Australian news content so that they can maximise the benefit of generative AI tools to improve their work and better serve our customers. This is a practical step that shows innovation and the fair treatment of rights holders can be mutually beneficial, as we adapt to new technologies.”
Copyright Agency CEO, Josephine Johnston, said:
“Journalism and other published content have extraordinary value to businesses, whether staff are sharing an article with colleagues or using it in a prompt for an AI tool. With the increasing reliance on GenAI tools, businesses need a way to ensure that they are using high-quality content. This licence ensures ongoing investment in the creation of that content, whilst providing a simple solution for businesses.
We welcome CBA’s practical approach and encourage other organisations to consider how their licensing arrangements support the way their staff work.”
The GenAI permissions in this workplace licence do not allow licensed content to be used to train, create or improve an AI model.
ENDS
About Copyright Agency
Copyright Agency is an Australian not-for-profit representing over 40,000 creators, including publishers, authors, journalists and visual artists. It provides licensing solutions that allow businesses to legally copy, share and store content while ensuring creators are fairly paid.