The Albanese government woke up this morning and chose AI.
Well... sort of.
The prime minister’s new Office of AI, a national framework for large AI data centres and a promise to cut through Australia’s piecemeal regulatory approach are, on paper, all good things.
So is the government’s declaration that AI companies must not train on Australian creators’ work without their consent — a commitment that, if legislated, would go further than almost any comparable democracy.
But the announcement also promises something for almost everyone: faster approvals for data centres, greater certainty for investors, stronger protections for creators, safeguards for workers and reassurance for voters wary of what AI might bring to our shores.
It’s politically neat. Whether it is strategically bold enough to make Australia a serious player in the global AI race is another question entirely.
