Takao Terui, Jiayu Chen
As generative AI presents a complex policy dilemma between fostering innovation and safeguarding copyright, Japan and Singapore have emerged as two of the most AI-friendly nations, prioritising the growth of AI-driven economies over stronger protections for creators’ rights. Drawing on policy documents and reports from creative industry stakeholders in the past two decades, this paper investigates the mechanisms underpinning the development of AI-friendly policies and legal frameworks in both countries. It highlights how pre-existing copyright laws, the fragmented structure of cultural policy institutions, and the dominance of techno-optimistic, innovation-driven discourse among policymakers have collectively shaped their current policy trajectories. By analysing these institutional and political contexts as well as how creative workers in these two countries are reacting to generative AI and non-protective cultural policies, the study offers critical insights into the divergent policy responses and prevailing narratives surrounding generative AI. In doing so, it contributes to the discourse on how generative AI governance could balance between technological advancement and cultural rights. By examining Japan and Singapore, this paper offers a contextualised account of how cultural policy and copyright governance intersect with the evolving landscape of GenAI. The comparative approach used here highlights the importance of examining national contexts without assuming one-size-fits-all solutions.