Australia’s official AI safety plan is little more than a single bullet point. Will it be enough?

Last week, Toby Walsh, one of Australia’s leading artificial intelligence (AI) researchers, warned that a lack of guidance around AI in Australia means young people are at risk of being “sacrificed for the profits of big tech companies”.

Walsh’s comments came after the government scrapped its own proposal to set up an advisory body of AI experts. Instead, the government proposed its National AI Plan, which highlights investments in data centers, telecommunications infrastructure and workforce training, among other things.

The plan also calls for an “AI Security Institute” (currently recruiting) and some internal AI transparency measures for the public sector. The transparency results so far have not been particularly good.

What does this all mean for AI regulation in Australia?

What are other countries doing?

The European Union has attracted attention for its AI law, which already bans things like using AI systems to exploit vulnerable groups or individuals. However,…