Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned to his old stomping ground at the University of Sydney to reveal how Australia plans to approach era-defining technological change. In a much-hyped speech, the PM moved to centralise oversight of artificial intelligence and announced that Australia would force data centres to minimise water use and fund their own power supply under mandatory national rules. Albanese said Australia had a narrow window of opportunity to establish AI’s “social licence”. The announcement represents a significant shift in the government’s approach to AI regulation, moving from a wait-and-see approach to active intervention, and signals that Australia intends to be a rule-setter rather than a rule-taker in the global AI landscape.
Advertisement
Artists have taken some heart from the PM’s promise they will retain control over how their works are used by tech giants, but have told the government they want a seat at the table in his new office for AI. “No company should use Australian books, music, art or news to build or train AI without the artist’s control,” Albanese declared. “Anything less is theft,” he added. The prime minister signalled Labor wanted a new model that would allow creatives to choose whether their works would be used to train AI and how they are paid. The government hopes to next year introduce laws that would set minimum requirements for firms building data centres, including energy efficiency standards and location guidelines to manage environmental impact.
The speech came a day after 200 leading US economists warned that the new computing transformation could be as severe as the Industrial Revolution unfolding over a much shorter timeframe. Albanese argued that AI was a more profound development than social media, as New York became the first US state to put a moratorium on data centres and the Australian housing sector warned construction resources were being diverted away from home building. “We want AI to support and create good jobs, not replace them,” Albanese declared, emphasising that the government’s focus is on augmenting human capability rather than automating it away. He pointed to examples in healthcare and education where AI is already helping professionals work more effectively.
