Who Are We Actually Keeping Safe?

Conversations about AI safety in Australia are largely happening among researchers, policymakers, and technologists, while the people most exposed to real AI harms rarely get a seat at the table. At the West Australian AI Hub, we work directly with younger and older Australians, CALD communities, regional SMEs, and First Nations groups across WA, and what they tell us does not always match what appears in national policy documents. This session shares three things we have learned from that work and makes a practical case for why genuine safety for everyone has to start with the communities we've been designing around, not for.