AI Safety Forum Australia
Inaugural Forum

Australian AI Safety Forum 2024

7-8 November 2024 · Sydney Knowledge Hub, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

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The 2026 Australian AI Safety Forum is on 7–8 July. Registration is now open.

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About the Forum

The inaugural Australian AI Safety Forum was a two-day interdisciplinary event held in Sydney on 7-8 November 2024. The forum brought together over 100 researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals to build foundational knowledge and catalyse an Australian AI safety community.

Date & Location

7-8 November 2024
Sydney Knowledge Hub, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

Format

Day 1: 7 November 2024
Day 2: 8 November 2024

Attendance

100+ participants
Oversubscribed by 70 applicants

Impact & Outcomes

92%
Increased Connection

Increased connection with Australian AI safety community

76%
Increased Understanding

Increased understanding of Australia's role in advancing AI safety

Immediate Impact

Several initiatives launched within weeks of the forum, demonstrating the event's catalytic effect on the Australian AI safety community:

  • AI safety coworking spaces established in Sydney and Melbourne
  • Research project investigating open source infrastructure for AI safety in Australia
  • Ongoing working group formed to coordinate Australian AI safety community efforts

Program Schedule

This is the 2024 program. The 2026 schedule will be different.

View the 2026 Forum →

Day 1 — 7 November 2024

08:00
Registration and free barista coffee cart
09:00
Welcome and introduction to Day 1
Liam Carroll, Gradient Institute / Timaeus; Helen Wilson, Commonwealth Department of Industry, Science and Resources; Karla Perez Romero, Sydney Knowledge Hub
09:30
Introduction: State of AI
Tiberio Caetano, Gradient Institute
10:00
Introduction: State of Technical AI Safety
Daniel Murfet, University of Melbourne
10:30
Introduction: State of AI Governance
Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney
11:00
Morning tea
11:30
Red-Teaming for Generative AI: Silver Bullet or Security Theater
Hoda Heidari, Carnegie Mellon University
12:15
Accelerating AI Safety Talent
Ryan Kidd, MATS Research
13:00
Lunch
14:00
Frontier AI Safety Governance: Open Questions
Seth Lazar, ANU
14:45
Foundations of Artificial Intelligence and AI Safety
Marcus Hutter, ANU
15:30
Afternoon tea
16:00
Panel discussion
Tiberio Caetano, Gradient Institute; Marcus Hutter, ANU; Ryan Kidd, MATS Research; Seth Lazar, ANU; Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney
17:00
Networking and drinks

Day 2 — 8 November 2024

08:30
Doors open
09:00
Introduction to Day 2
Liam Carroll, Gradient Institute / Timaeus
09:05
State of the science: The International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI
Daniel Murfet, University of Melbourne; Marcus Hutter, ANU
The International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI describes the capabilities, risks, and technical approaches to address risks of increasingly capable general-purpose AI systems. In this session we will explore the best current scientific understanding of AI safety including the most important challenges and the most promising methods for making progress.
10:30
Morning tea
11:00
Workshop Track A: International governance of AI safety: a role for Australia?
Johanna Weaver, Tech Policy Design Centre; Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney
Workshop Track B: Unpacking "Safe" and "Responsible" AI
Qinghua Lu, CSIRO's Data61; Alexander Saeri, University of Queensland / MIT FutureTech
Workshop Track C: Perspectives on generalisation in the science of AI safety
Daniel Murfet, University of Melbourne; Marcus Hutter, ANU
12:00
Workshop Track A: New Governance Proposals for Frontier AI Safety
Seth Lazar, ANU; Atoosa Kasirzadeh, Carnegie Mellon University; Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney
Workshop Track B: Emerging practice in technical AI safety
Soroush Pour, Harmony Intelligence; Ryan Kidd, MATS Research; Liam Carroll, Gradient Institute / Timaeus
Workshop Track C: Wildcard session
Alexander Saeri, University of Queensland / MIT FutureTech
13:00
Lunch
14:00
What could an Australian AI Safety Institute look like?
Greg Sadler, Good Ancestors; Nitarshan Rajkumar, UK AI Safety Institute
The UK, US, Japan and others have established AI Safety Institutes to research and support action on risks from AI. In this session, we will discuss what an Australian AISI could do, how this could advance AI safety in Australia and internationally, and how such an Institute could operate.
15:50
Concluding remarks
Liam Carroll, Gradient Institute / Timaeus
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