Australia will tighten oversight of artificial intelligence in automated government decision-making and strengthen privacy safeguards as part of a broader push to allay concerns about the technology’s risks to community safety. Source: ABC News.
A new list of AI consumer priorities published by the Albanese Government yesterday includes a promise to “better regulate” the use of AI in federal agencies like Centrelink and Services Australia, and revisit personal data protection laws.
Pressure has been building on the government to commit to human intervention in the administration of government schemes, particularly in social services, balanced with a desire to use emerging technology to boost productivity.
In May, Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth said humans would remain involved in the JobSeeker payment process as she announced an overhaul of the unemployment system.
Last year, the Commonwealth Ombudsman found almost a thousand jobseekers had their income support payments unlawfully terminated via automatic cancellations.
The government has also faced scrutiny over automated elements of the aged care home support program, as well as a planning tool in the National Disability Insurance Scheme that generates budgets for participants.
Earlier this year the ombudsman opened an investigation into the algorithm-based aged care assessment tool.
Though the saga of the illegal Robodebt scheme revealed the unreliability of some automated processes, the rise of AI is already dramatically changing the way data is used across the economy, The Guardian reported.
Labor said that Attorney-General Michelle Rowland will lead development of the new rules – coming as AI giants including Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft and Google eye major developments in Australia.
The government is also progressing legislation to create a digital duty of care, designed to put the onus on AI companies to build in safety features and proactively address potential harm. That work is being led by the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells.
ABC News reports that AI is expected to dominate debate at the National Labor Conference in Adelaide later this week, with a particular focus on workers’ rights.
Delegates, parliamentarians and union leaders have until Wednesday to seek amendments to Labor’s AI policy platform before a vote.
A draft of the policy platform indicates there will be a focus on the impact of AI across the economy, including jobs, and a commitment to hold AI companies accountable to Australian “values and laws.”
FULL STORY
Federal government to tighten rules around use of AI in departmental decision-making (By Holly Tregenza, ABC News)
Government use of automated AI decision-making to be curbed under new Australian rules (By Tom McIlroy, The Guardian)
