When Tim Ayres replaced Ed Husic earlier this year, many feared his background in the union movement would produce an industry minister more inclined to defend against AI than embrace it.
But that wasn’t the tone Ayres struck on Tuesday when he addressed the Tech Council of Australia’s National Tech Summit at Sydney Town Hall.
“No new technology comes without the potential for risks and unintended consequences,” Ayres said. “That’s no excuse for shying away from the enormous opportunities the technology presents.”
Ayres said the number of occupations at risk of disappearing was “pretty small”, and described AI as central to the Albanese government’s plans to build Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector and meet net zero goals.
