The Government published its interim response to the consultation process on safe and responsible AI that was undertaken last year on January 17th 2024.
Key points from the Government’s response are outlined below.
The Government’s immediate focus will be to consider and consult on what mandatory safety safeguards are appropriate for organisations developing and deploying AI systems in high-risk settings, and how best to implement them, informed by developments in other countries. Where mandatory guardrails already exist, the Australian Government will look to leverage existing requirements.
While these mandatory guardrails are being considered, the Government will also take immediate action through:
-
- working with industry to develop a voluntary AI Safety Standard, to provide industry with a practical, voluntary, best-practice toolkit that ensures that AI systems being developed or deployed are safe and secure implementing risk-based guardrails for industry.
- working with industry to develop options for voluntary labelling and watermarking of AI-generated materials.
- establishing an expert advisory body to support the development of options for further AI guardrails.
Government’s approach to AI will be guided by the following Principles:
- “Risk based approach – The Australian Government will use a risk-based framework to support the safe use of AI and prevent harms occurring from AI. This includes considering obligations on developers and deployers of AI based on the level of risk posed by the use, deployment or development of AI.
- Balanced and proportionate The Australian Government will avoid unnecessary or disproportionate burdens for businesses, the community and regulators. It will balance the need for innovation and competition with the need to protect community interests including privacy, security and public and online safety.
- Collaborative and transparent The Australian Government will be open in its engagement and work with experts from across Australia in developing its approach to the safe and responsible use of AI. It will ensure there are opportunities for public involvement and draw on technical expertise. Government actions will be clear and make it easy for those developing, implementing or using AI to know their rights and protections.
- A trusted international partner Australia will be consistent with the Bletchley Declaration and leverage its strong foundations and domestic capabilities to support global action to address AI risks. This includes substantial risks to humanity from frontier AI, addressing the high-risk applications of AI, as well as near-term risks to individuals, our institutions and our most vulnerable populations.
- Community first The Australian Government will place people and communities at the centre when developing and implementing its regulatory approaches. This means helping to ensure AI is designed, developed and deployed to consider the needs, abilities and social context of all people.”
The response notes that “further work is needed to define the criteria of risk categorisation to ensure that safe AI systems would not be overregulated and that dangerous AI systems would not be underregulated. Likewise, further work is needed to identify what would be the most appropriate guardrails and regulatory interventions for each category of risk. It will also be important to further refine definitions of high-risk AI, including taking into account developments in overseas jurisdictions.”
The Government will consider suggestions put forward in submissions on further opportunities to strengthen existing laws to address risks and harms from AI, and to build on recent and proposed reforms including privacy law, online safety and mis- and disinformation.
Building on the investments in Australia’s AI capability in the 2023–24 Budget, the government will continue to explore steps it can take to support the development and diffusion of AI technologies across the Australian economy, including the need for an AI Investment Plan.
The Government will take forward the commitments it made in the Bletchley Declaration; will continue to engage internationally to help shape global AI governance; will identify and consider opportunities to support the safe and responsible deployment of AI technologies in our region; and will consider ways to bolster the engagement of Australian experts in key international forums that develop technical standards for AI.
The Government will consider opportunities to ensure that Australia can grow its national capability and maximise the benefits of automation technologies like AI and robotics.
Next steps for the Government to maximise the opportunities that AI presents relate to:
-
- preventing harms from occurring through testing, transparency and accountability
- clarifying and strengthening laws to safeguard citizens
- working internationally to support the safe development and deployment of AI
- maximising the benefits of AI.
The full response is available here. There are no defined timing for next steps but IAB Australia will stayed engaged with Government on any issues that could impact the digital advertising ecosystem and update our member base throughout the year.