This idea, a focus on balance, is at the core of our philosophical approach to shaping law in the throes of rapid technological change.
This week, the Albanon government took the next step in modernizing the laws that guide how AI is used and developed. We have achieved this through the release of two important works of his.
The first is a summary report by the Prime Minister’s National Science and Technology Council on trends in generative AI.
The other is a discussion paper calling on the Australian public to give their views on what they want in law. The question is whether our laws and governance are fit for purpose and whether additional guardrails are needed.
The research comes at a time of growing public interest in what AI can do and what it means for our society.
ChatGPT is the fastest growing application in the history of the Internet, reaching 100 million users in two months.
It’s clear that applications like ChatGPT are driving a new wave of transformation. New skills will be required, new jobs and businesses will be created, and existing business models and markets will be challenged.
thoughtful approach
The development of ChatGPT has raised calls for a crackdown on advances in AI. Some of these calls tend to focus on dark, negative content, even suggesting that AI poses an existential threat to our species.
As a person who has been interested in technology since my time as a member of the Diet, I would like to avoid destroying or spreading rapidly evolving technology.
Our government will approach challenges thoughtfully while ensuring that benefits are maximized. And we will work with like-minded countries to seize opportunities while mitigating risks.
Australia, as a liberal democracy with credible public institutions and a culture of fairness and inclusiveness, should be proud of the role it can play in these debates.
These values guide governments as they consider the role of technology.
The point is that we are not starting from scratch, we already have various laws in place and efforts are being made across the government. These discussions are just one of his ways we are responding to the challenges and opportunities that AI presents.
We also announced an additional $41 million to this year’s budget to help the industry adopt responsible AI. The funding will support the National AI Center and partners across Australia to continue developing guidance and tools for small businesses adopting these tools for the first time.
We also recognize the capabilities Australia needs to build into AI. In May, the government released an updated list of technologies critical to national interest, identifying them as key capabilities for enabling AI.
We are also helping to scale up investment in sovereign capacity through the National Recovery Fund’s $1 billion subsidized fund for critical technologies such as AI.
Our governments know that putting in place a fit-for-purpose framework for the safe and responsible use of AI technology has enormous economic and social benefits.
According to McKinsey, AI and related technologies such as automation could add $1 trillion to $4 trillion to the Australian economy over the next 15 years.
Ed Husic is Australia’s Minister for Industry and Science.
