The Australian Government’s interim response to safe and responsible AI consultation
The Australian Government has published its interim response to the safe and responsible AI consultation held in 2023.
The interim response outlines what the Australian public, academia and businesses told us about safe and responsible AI. It also details how the government is and will take action now and in the longer term.
The consultation received over 500 submissions. Over 20% of submissions were from individuals, showing that citizens care about safe and responsible AI. We also heard from 345 virtual town hall attendees and over 200 roundtable attendees.
The consultation made it clear that AI systems and applications are helping to improve wellbeing and quality of life, as well as growing our economy. However, current regulatory frameworks do not fully address the risks of AI.
Submissions called for further guardrails on legitimate but high-risk uses of AI, as well as unforeseen risks from powerful ‘frontier’ models.
The government wants the design, development and deployment of AI in legitimate high-risk settings to be safe and reliable. However, it aims to ensure that AI can continue being used in low-risk settings largely unimpeded.
The government will do this by:
- using testing, transparency and accountability measures to prevent harms from occurring in high-risk settings
- clarifying and strengthening laws to safeguard citizens
- working internationally to support the safe development and deployment of AI
- maximising the benefits of AI.