Responsible AI in Australia: have your say

From streaming recommendations to predicting bushfires, AI is already part of our lives. These technologies are getting more powerful and popular all the time, as shown by the impact of ChatGPT over the past 6 months.

While new AI technologies can grow our economy and improve our lives, they may also have risks. Australians need to be able to trust that AI will be used ethically, safely and responsibly.

There are strong foundations for Australia to be a leader in responsible AI. In 2019 we were one of the earliest countries to adopt an Artificial Intelligence Ethics Framework. The framework has voluntary ethics principles to ensure AI applications are safe, secure and reliable. We tested these principles with some of Australia’s biggest businesses, including the Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Microsoft and Telstra.

But as AI innovation speeds up, we need to make sure we can keep taking advantage of AI while protecting Australians.

Many other countries are already looking at new governance arrangements to ensure AI is used responsibly.

That’s why we want your views on what else the Australian Government can do to support the safe and responsible use of AI. That could be through either or both:

• voluntary approaches, like tools, frameworks and principles
• enforceable regulatory approaches, like laws and mandatory standards.

We will use your feedback to inform consideration across government on any appropriate regulatory and policy responses. These will build on the government’s existing multimillion investment in responsible AI through the 2023–24 Budget.

The right governance measures will ensure the public has trust in AI and Australia can realise the benefits of these technologies.

Have your say on our consultation hub. Submissions close 26 July 2023.