Expectations were high as the prime minister took the stage at the University of Sydney on Wednesday to outline a pivot in his government’s approach to artificial intelligence. The vibes of the speech seem to have lived up to the hype but it fell short on policy detail.
Before the address there were concerns about the government’s hands-off approach to AI regulation. So Anthony Albanese’s commitment to introducing laws that ensure Australian creatives retain control over their work – including its value and where it is used – are very welcome.
Clearly the government heard creatives loud and clear. Their work and intellectual property must not be used as a bargaining chip. This is an encouraging sign that the government is staring down intense pressure from global AI giants to give them unfettered – and unpaid-for – access to the works of Australian musicians, writers, journalists and artists.
But as is often the case in politics, the devil is in the detail. While the sentiment is good, we need to see the policy and legislation that will underpin it. There are cabinet documents that tell a different story to the speech – one where the prime minister was set to sponsor a submission exploring “legal avenues” to give AI companies access to Australians’ work in return for massive datacentre investment.
New laws have now been flagged that, according to the prime minister, will ensure key community concerns about water and energy use are addressed by something stronger than the current voluntary “expectations”. Laws that ensure households and businesses won’t pay higher prices as a result of datacentre energy use.
While the speech sought to reassure and allay fears, it also raised questions.
When the prime minister talks about new laws applying to the “next generation of large-scale datacentres” what does he mean? How will “large” be defined? And what constitutes the “next generation”? When will these national standards apply and how many datacentres will be built between now and then? Bear in mind there are at least 100 datacentres under construction, with at least that many more planned.
Where is the plan to build Australian sovereign AI capability? To ensure local companies and researchers have access to the vast new computing power to be housed on our shores? This is critical if we want to truly share in the benefits over the long term.
There’s also a contradiction in the government’s commitment to protecting creatives while at the same time wanting to attract the big multinational “hyperscalers” to build hundreds of billions of dollars worth of datacentres here, given that the sticking point for the hyperscalers seems to be copyright.
And, for all the talk about secure jobs, where is the investment in retraining workers? Singapore is investing $1bn annually in retraining and setting workers up in AI-resilient careers. Where is that…
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