According to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) seen by The Australian, Anthropic will share its economic data with the government to detect how AI is being harnessed within the Australian economy, assist in “AI education”, and team up with Australian health researchers.
“This MOU sends a clear signal to Australians that we are open for business, where investment aligns with Australia’s priorities and Australian values,” said Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Science Tim Ayres.
“The Australian government and Anthropic are working together to harness AI responsibly – securing investment into Australia’s energy grid, driving economic resilience and safety for all Australians.
“This MOU will drive progress under the National AI Plan launched by the Albanese Labor government last year and will strengthen Australia’s position as an attractive place to invest.”
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei is due to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers at Parliament House this Wednesday (1 April).
While Anthropic often paints itself as the most ethical of the AI giants, it, like OpenAI and other companies, has critiqued Australia and other nations’ copyright legislation, citing it as a restriction for AI development.
They believe that these laws that protect creatives and other content owners limit AI’s ability to train and thus make Australia and other countries with similar laws less attractive for investment in new data centres.
Anthropic itself faced a class action lawsuit, which concluded last year, after writers claimed the company trained its large language model (LLM) using pirated copies of their works. The company paid out US$1.5 billion.
According to reports, copyright law is expected to be one of the discussion points Amodei is looking to bring up in Parliament House.
Labor has previously said it would maintain copyright legislation in the context of AI, a message that Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton seems to maintain.
“Labor is committed to ensuring AI works for the Australian people, and not the other way around,” he said.
“Australia needs technology partners who share our values and are committed to supporting our national interests, and this agreement is a positive step in that direction.”
The government said the MOU will promote safety and track AI progress as well as empower research and development and supply chain security.
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