Government considers sweeping AI Act
Make us a preferred source
Make us a preferred source on Google
The news: The government could implement a sweeping Artificial Intelligence Act to rein in the technology in “high risk” settings, in a move which would follow the European Union.
The context: Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic on Thursday released a discussion paper proposing mandatory guardrails for AI, seeking a definition for “high risk” AI and 10 proposed mandatory guardrails, including human oversight and risk mitigation plans.
It also suggests three potential regulatory options: an AI Act, guardrails within existing legislation, and adapting existing regulatory frameworks to the arrival of AI.
The EU’s AI Act came into force last month, and categorises risk posed by AI systems from “minimal” — which have a voluntary code of conduct — to “unacceptable” — which are banned. It carves out exemptions for AI systems used by the military and for national security.
Consultation on the Australian government’s paper is open for a month.
What they said: “Australians know AI can do great things, but people want to know there are protections in place if things go off the rails … We need more people to use AI and to do that we need to build trust,” Husic said.
The source: Minister for Industry and Science media release
