Near-term AI policy priorities for the Federal Government

Despite the magnitude of the opportunities and risks of AI, the Federal Government has taken a largely passive, hands-off approach to AI policy. I have met with stakeholders across industry, business, NGOs, academia and civil society, and the message is always the same: this approach is not good enough. That is why I have published an AI Discussion Paper with specific, near-term policy recommendations for the Federal Government. These include to: increase funding to the AI Safety Institute; set up a National AI Missions program; directly address the long-term developmental harm that AI chatbots and companions can cause to our children; implement transparency and incident monitoring requirements; and develop an effective tax system for AI companies. This is about moving from talk to taking action. About turning safety research into policy to support Australians.