Decoding Australia's AI plan
Ed Husic's newly revealed plan to regulate AI nods to the EU's strategy but also aligns Australia with some of its APAC neighbours.
When Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic announced an inquiry last year into how artificial intelligence would be regulated, it felt like Australia was trying to play catch up.
At the time, every government seemed to be announcing an approach to AI. The EU had already positioned itself as a leader in setting an international standard with plans for its AI Act — much as it has done with its privacy regulation. The UK wanted to be seen as a welcome port for industry, while also trying to lead on AI safety.
What would Australia do? For months this has been an open question, as the government was flooded with responses to its discussion paper, and perhaps a little overwhelmed.
Husic has now shown us just where Australia might end up on AI regulation. It's an approach that reflects Australia’s positioning in the APAC region, rather than trying to emulate a European model.
