New AI safety institute will help Australia avoid US-style AI backlash: Charlton
The federal government’s new body tasked with keeping Australians safe from the harms of artificial intelligence (AI) is up and running from today, Andrew Charlton says. The Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and Digital Economy announced the opening of the Australian AI Safety Institute in a speech at the Australian Financial Review’s AI Summit on Tuesday morning. The Institute, announced in November last year, is tasked with testing new AI, working with government to respond to its harms and helping the public understand how to use the new technology safely. Last week, the ABC reported that AI ethicist and governance expert Kate Conroy had been chosen to lead the Institute. Charlton says keeping Australians safe from AI, alongside attracting AI investment and ensuring widespread uptake of AI, is how the federal government plans to avoid feeding anti-tech resentment. “The United States is now living through a fierce backlash, with data centres as a flashpoint,” he said in prepared remarks. “This is the American story… and we have a window to get ahead of this and make sure it ends differently.”