The Law Already Sees You: How Existing Rules Govern AI in Australia

Even without a dedicated AI Act, Australian law already governs AI. It does so through the same frameworks that regulate our activity: contract, tort, corporations' law, privacy, consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and administrative law. The National AI Plan confirmed in December 2025 that Australia will not enact an AI Act. But the absence of dedicated legislation does not mean the absence of legal accountability. This presentation offers a practising lawyer's perspective on what that accountability looks like in practice. Directors already owe duties of care and diligence that extend to AI oversight. Consumer law already prohibits misleading conduct by algorithmic systems. Privacy law already constrains how personal information feeds into AI training and inference. And targeted reforms are adding new layers. Drawing on recent research and frontline advisory experience, this talk will map what the law already requires of those who build, deploy, and procure AI in Australia,