How ChatGPT set off alarm bells inside the Albanese government
Boffins in Canberra scrambled to formulate a response to generative AI after the launch of ChatGPT. But eight months later, the government is still working on how to regulate the technology.
The launch of ChatGPT last year made headlines around the world, inspiring awe about the technology's ability to write essays and pass university exams and sparking widespread concerns about industry disruption and job losses. It also set off alarm bells inside the federal bureaucracy and Albanese government.
Emails obtained by Capital Brief following a Freedom of Information request show that during the first sitting fortnight of Parliament this year in February, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources sent a briefing marked "Urgent" to its relevant minister Ed Husic calling for a "rapid response" on ChatGPT.
“OpenAl's launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 has seen growing community awareness of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the opportunities and risks associated with widespread use of the technology,” stated the brief, sent in February this year.
“In particular, media coverage has focussed on job security and concerns about the integrity of academic credentialing.”
