Does the government regulate AI?<\/strong><\/h2>\nYes, AI is regulated in Australia, but not with AI-specific legislation. Instead, it is governed by existing legislation (e.g. consumer, data protection, competition, copyright and anti-discrimination law<\/a>).<\/p>\nThe government encourages usage of voluntary ethical frameworks<\/a>. These include Australia\u2019s AI Ethics Framework to guide the responsible design, development and implementation of AI.<\/p>\nHowever, momentum is building for Australia to enhance existing regulation. The government is seeking to implement backstops against AI\u2019s potential risks. This may include introducing targeted regulation and governance.<\/p>\n
Is AI regulation on the 2024 roadmap?<\/strong><\/h2>\nPotentially. Here are four signs that point to forthcoming AI regulation..<\/p>\n
\n- In September 2023, the federal government \u2018has agreed to introduce\u2019 amendments to the Privacy Act. This forms as part of its \u2018broader work to regulate AI\u2019<\/a>. The proposed amendments will give individuals the right to greater transparency over how their personal information may be used.<\/li>\n
- In November, the National AI Center launched AI Month. It brings government departments, community groups, and organisations together to share knowledge.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Speaking about the initiative, Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, stressed the need to safeguard emerging technology.<\/p>\n
\u201cAI presents a huge opportunity to boost productivity, but we must help make sure the design, development and deployment of AI technologies is safe and responsible,\u201d said the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science.<\/p>\n
\n- The government is under pressure to prevent AI from causing harm. In November 2023, business groups (including BCA, Ai Group, ACCI, COSBOA, ACS and the TCA) united ‘to offer the Government the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with those at the forefront of the AI revolution, to effectively manage its benefits and risks.\u2019<\/li>\n
- In June 2023, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources released a discussion paper on \u2018Safe and responsible AI in Australia\u2019. It explored potential regulatory frameworks and invited industry feedback on the adequacy of Australia\u2019s current regulatory frameworks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
How is AI regulated?<\/strong><\/h2>\nProposed legislation and initiatives are paving the way for the responsible use of AI.\u00a0These seek to introduce guardrails for AI-powered automation and the use of large data sets.<\/p>\n
New developments suggest that governments and organisations will regulate AI in different ways. These include upcoming targeted and amending legislation, governance frameworks, international and national standards, and the implementation of policy within organisations for the use and development of AI.<\/p>\n
How is AI governance evolving?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n- International legislation:<\/strong> The proposed EU AI Act (provisional agreement on the text of the AI Act was reached on 8 December 2023) ), is the world\u2019s first comprehensive AI law. It will employ a sliding-scale framework that will assess the user-risk levels of various AI applications.<\/li>\n
- Global treaties, including ‘The Bletchley Declaration’:<\/strong> In November 2023, the Australian Government, alongside the EU and 27 countries including the UK, U.S., and China, signed the Bletchley Declaration, an international commitment to ensuring that AI should be designed, developed, deployed, and used in a manner that is safe, human-centric, trustworthy and responsible.\u2019<\/li>\n
- Adoption of ethical frameworks: <\/strong>The OECD\u2019s AI Principles<\/a> provide guidance to governments globally. Australia\u2019s AI Ethics Framework is aligned with these principles. Many organisations, from Microsoft<\/a> to Thomson Reuters<\/a> also have their own AI principles.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Ethical AI is on the rise. But what is it?<\/strong><\/h2>\nEthical AI is a growing field. It seeks to ensure that AI is being developed, implemented and used responsibly. In 2021, UNESCO released its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence<\/em><\/a> (since adopted by 193 member states).<\/p>\nThe Recommendation aims to protect human rights and dignity. It is \u2018based on the advancement of fundamental principles such as transparency and fairness, always remembering the importance of human oversight of AI systems.’<\/p>\n
The Recommendation includes guidance for applying the ethical recommendations to \u2018policy action areas\u2019 such as data governance, social wellbeing, and the environment.<\/p>\n
Much of the focus of ethical AI is on generative AI<\/a> (made famous by ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities). Generative AI is a powerful tool that uses large language models<\/a> to scan unprecedented amounts of data and generate almost instantaneous responses to queries.<\/p>\nAI is liberating time for professionals, so they can focus on value-adding activities<\/a>. But alongside the benefits, core risks associated with its governance include privacy, data security, copyright infringement and mitigating bias and hallucinations.<\/p>\nThe question of ethics extends to ensuring that AI remains a tool that assists humans \u2013 not the other way around.<\/p>\n
Thomson Reuters\u2019 2023 Tech & the Law Report<\/a> showed that lawyers have mixed feelings about AI. An overwhelming 69% of private practice professionals believed generative AI would boost workflow efficiency. Meanwhile, 51% predicted it would threaten jobs in certain areas of the law.<\/p>\n\u201cAI has the growing capacity to augment human intelligence, not replace it,\u201d said Carl Olson, vice president of proposition at Thomson Reuters. \u201cIt can help lawyers work more efficiently, and alongside human expertise, AI has the capacity to deliver unprecedented accuracy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the technology continues to evolve, law firms and legal departments must harness AI\u2019s potential whilst educating their clients about the risks involved with navigating large language models.\u201d<\/p>\n
What is the Australian government’s policy on AI?<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Australian Government supports AI adoption. It is committed to \u2018implementing Responsible AI in industry, the military and the public sector.<\/a>\u2019<\/p>\nIn the 2023\/2024 budget, the government pledged $41.2 million to \u2018support the responsible deployment of AI<\/a>\u2019. The pledge includes strengthening the Responsible AI Network and launching the Responsible AI Adopt Program to help SMEs adopt AI.<\/p>\nIn November 2023, the government announced a collaboration with Microsoft, forming part of the tech giant\u2019s plan to invest $5 million in Australia. The six-month trial of Microsoft Copilot in the public service will make it among the first governments to use it.<\/p>\n
What are Australia’s AI ethics principles?<\/strong><\/h2>\nAustralia released a set of eight AI ethics principles <\/a>(modelled on the OECD\u2019s principles) in 2019. The voluntary framework promotes using AI in a trustworthy and inclusive manner. It also seeks to mitigate risks for all.<\/p>\nThe Australian Government\u2019s, Department of Industry, Science and Resources states the following intentions:<\/p>\n
\n- achieve safer, more reliable, and fairer outcomes for all Australians<\/em><\/li>\n
- reduce the risk of negative impact on those affected by AI applications<\/em><\/li>\n
- businesses and governments to practice the highest ethical standards when designing, developing, and implementing AI.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The Australian Government’s Artificial Intelligence Taskforce<\/strong><\/h2>\nIn July 2023, the Australian Government launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Taskforce focussing on the safe and responsible use of AI by the Australian public service (APS). The taskforce is jointly led by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.<\/p>\n
Its guidance is intended to be iterative to keep up with the ever-changing AI landscape. The Taskforce recently updated its interim guidance<\/a> on agency use of generative AI which was first released in July 2023. This first update focuses on \u2018refreshed human-oriented principles’ and \u2018golden rules’ that the public sector can employ.<\/p>\n
The government encourages usage of voluntary ethical frameworks<\/a>. These include Australia\u2019s AI Ethics Framework to guide the responsible design, development and implementation of AI.<\/p>\n However, momentum is building for Australia to enhance existing regulation. The government is seeking to implement backstops against AI\u2019s potential risks. This may include introducing targeted regulation and governance.<\/p>\n Potentially. Here are four signs that point to forthcoming AI regulation..<\/p>\n Speaking about the initiative, Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, stressed the need to safeguard emerging technology.<\/p>\n \u201cAI presents a huge opportunity to boost productivity, but we must help make sure the design, development and deployment of AI technologies is safe and responsible,\u201d said the Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science.<\/p>\n Proposed legislation and initiatives are paving the way for the responsible use of AI.\u00a0These seek to introduce guardrails for AI-powered automation and the use of large data sets.<\/p>\n New developments suggest that governments and organisations will regulate AI in different ways. These include upcoming targeted and amending legislation, governance frameworks, international and national standards, and the implementation of policy within organisations for the use and development of AI.<\/p>\n Ethical AI is a growing field. It seeks to ensure that AI is being developed, implemented and used responsibly. In 2021, UNESCO released its Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence<\/em><\/a> (since adopted by 193 member states).<\/p>\n The Recommendation aims to protect human rights and dignity. It is \u2018based on the advancement of fundamental principles such as transparency and fairness, always remembering the importance of human oversight of AI systems.’<\/p>\n The Recommendation includes guidance for applying the ethical recommendations to \u2018policy action areas\u2019 such as data governance, social wellbeing, and the environment.<\/p>\n Much of the focus of ethical AI is on generative AI<\/a> (made famous by ChatGPT\u2019s capabilities). Generative AI is a powerful tool that uses large language models<\/a> to scan unprecedented amounts of data and generate almost instantaneous responses to queries.<\/p>\n AI is liberating time for professionals, so they can focus on value-adding activities<\/a>. But alongside the benefits, core risks associated with its governance include privacy, data security, copyright infringement and mitigating bias and hallucinations.<\/p>\n The question of ethics extends to ensuring that AI remains a tool that assists humans \u2013 not the other way around.<\/p>\n Thomson Reuters\u2019 2023 Tech & the Law Report<\/a> showed that lawyers have mixed feelings about AI. An overwhelming 69% of private practice professionals believed generative AI would boost workflow efficiency. Meanwhile, 51% predicted it would threaten jobs in certain areas of the law.<\/p>\n \u201cAI has the growing capacity to augment human intelligence, not replace it,\u201d said Carl Olson, vice president of proposition at Thomson Reuters. \u201cIt can help lawyers work more efficiently, and alongside human expertise, AI has the capacity to deliver unprecedented accuracy.<\/p>\n \u201cAs the technology continues to evolve, law firms and legal departments must harness AI\u2019s potential whilst educating their clients about the risks involved with navigating large language models.\u201d<\/p>\n The Australian Government supports AI adoption. It is committed to \u2018implementing Responsible AI in industry, the military and the public sector.<\/a>\u2019<\/p>\n In the 2023\/2024 budget, the government pledged $41.2 million to \u2018support the responsible deployment of AI<\/a>\u2019. The pledge includes strengthening the Responsible AI Network and launching the Responsible AI Adopt Program to help SMEs adopt AI.<\/p>\n In November 2023, the government announced a collaboration with Microsoft, forming part of the tech giant\u2019s plan to invest $5 million in Australia. The six-month trial of Microsoft Copilot in the public service will make it among the first governments to use it.<\/p>\n Australia released a set of eight AI ethics principles <\/a>(modelled on the OECD\u2019s principles) in 2019. The voluntary framework promotes using AI in a trustworthy and inclusive manner. It also seeks to mitigate risks for all.<\/p>\n The Australian Government\u2019s, Department of Industry, Science and Resources states the following intentions:<\/p>\n In July 2023, the Australian Government launched the Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government Taskforce focussing on the safe and responsible use of AI by the Australian public service (APS). The taskforce is jointly led by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.<\/p>\n Its guidance is intended to be iterative to keep up with the ever-changing AI landscape. The Taskforce recently updated its interim guidance<\/a> on agency use of generative AI which was first released in July 2023. This first update focuses on \u2018refreshed human-oriented principles’ and \u2018golden rules’ that the public sector can employ.<\/p>\nIs AI regulation on the 2024 roadmap?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
How is AI regulated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How is AI governance evolving?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Ethical AI is on the rise. But what is it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What is the Australian government’s policy on AI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What are Australia’s AI ethics principles?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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The Australian Government’s Artificial Intelligence Taskforce<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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