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Australia’s Productivity Commission has warned against the over-regulation of AI, but opponents are wary of going easy on regulations.
The Australian Productivity Commission has released a report ahead of the federal government’s upcoming productivity round table warning that over-regulation of artificial intelligence could lead to a missed opportunity for the country.
The Commission estimated in its report that AI could add more than $116 billion to Australia’s economy, but regulations could get in the way of that economic boost.
"Adding economy-wide regulations that specifically target AI could see Australia fall behind the curve, limiting a potentially enormous growth opportunity," Commissioner Stephen King said.
"The Australian government should only apply the proposed 'mandatory guardrails for high-risk AI' in circumstances that lead to harms that cannot be mitigated by existing regulatory frameworks and where new technology-neutral regulation is not possible."
Treasurer Jim Chalmers, however, said today that he was realistic about both the risks and opportunities that AI offers.
“I’m optimistic that AI can be a force for good, but I’m also realistic about the risks. It is not beyond us, in my view, to maximise the opportunities of AI while we manage the risks the best that we can,” Chalmers (pictured) said in an August 6 press conference.
“We can chart a middle course that makes our workers and our people and our industries beneficiaries, not victims, of technological change. The only way to make our people and workers and industries beneficiaries is if we treat AI as an enabler, not an enemy, of what we want to see in our economy. That means listening to people. It means empowering workers with the right skills as well.”
Others, though, feel opportunities have already been missed.
The country’s largest accounting body, CPA Australia, said while the Productivity Commission is right to be cautious about over-regulating AI, it has also failed to engage in ways to encourage small to medium enterprises to take up the technology.
“This is definitely not an ‘if you build it, they will come’ scenario. The Commission’s report questions whether Australian businesses are already behind the curve internationally in the adoption of AI – and the answer is a categoric yes,” CPA Australia’s Business Investment Lead, Gavan Ord, said in a statement.
“We needed the Commission to provide recommendations to government on incentives to help boost the uptake of technologies, including AI, as well as guidance on the benefits and practical support that businesses need to implement it.
“The report assumes a level of knowledge, expertise and capability that doesn’t match reality for many SMEs who focus 100 per cent of their time and effort on getting through each day with little time to consider investing in technologies, even if they think it could be beneficial to do so.”
CPA Australia said the government should invest more in providing incentives to SME’s to integrate AI into their business.
The Greens, on the other hand, have accused the Productivity Commission of only taking the desires of big businesses and tech companies into consideration.
“The commission is using overly optimistic financial projections to dodge proper AI rules and kill off basic digital protections,” Greens Senator and Digital Rights Spokesperson David Shoebridge said.
“The extraordinary power of international tech companies is real, and that’s an even more important reason to not let them dictate law in this country.
“The Commission's anti-regulation push reads like the corporate wish list of Amazon, Google and Apple. It flies in the face of unions and creatives fighting for workers' rights.”
Shoebridge warned that while the UK, Europe, and Canada are leading the way on AI legislation, Australia is “becoming AI’s wild west”.
“People want to be able to say no to their personal information being used in training AIs, yet this report says their consent is less important than corporate profits. That is not thought leadership,” Shoebridge said.
Shoebridge went on to call for the creation of a standalone AI Act and AI Safety Commission.
“Leaving this critical sector to existing regulators and agencies like the Productivity Commission is already failing Australians,” Shoebridge said.
But perhaps the most critical voice against a cautious regulatory environment came from the Leader of the Opposition, Coalition boss Sussan Ley. She feels that the works of Australian artists and creators should be protected from rapacious AI companies.
"It is not appropriate for big tech to steal the work of Australian artists, musicians, creators, news media, journalism, and use it for their own ends without paying for it," Ley said at her own press conference on the Commission's stance.
"We have to protect content creators, and I don’t see that. There’s very wishy-washy language coming from this government this morning about protecting the real intellectual property and the creative work of so many incredible Australians."
Ley called on the government to protect content creators, and while she also said she's willing to consult on the issue, Ley believes the work they create "is theirs and it can’t be taken without it being paid for".
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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