Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta.The Press Council has asserted that Artificial Intelligence (AI) developers must pay royalties when utilizing journalistic works as data sources. Speaking at the National Mass Media Convention in Serang, Banten, on Sunday (8/2/2026), 

Press Council Chairman Komaruddin Hidayat emphasized that unauthorized scraping of news content threatens the economic sustainability of the national press ecosystem.

"If AI takes [content], then it must pay royalties. If not, this is a form of robbery against journalistic works," he said during the 2026 National Press Day event, asa cited by antaranews.com.

The Council highlighted the growing disparity between high news production costs, particularly for investigative reporting, and the loss of revenue to digital platforms. Officials argue that while journalists invest significant time and research into their reporting, 

AI technologies often harvest this data automatically without providing financial compensation. To address this, the Press Council is advocating for the strict enforcement of "Publisher Rights" regulations to ensure fair economic treatment and protect media copyright in the age of automation.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)