By Jake Evans
Publication Date: 2025-12-01 19:00:00
The federal government has accepted companies’ demands to override “mandatory guardrails” on AI in the first national plan published this morning.
The long-awaited plan, which the government began consulting on in 2023, was originally intended to contain strict rules governing artificial intelligence, with widespread community distrust of the fast-spreading technology.
In September last year, former industry minister Ed Husic indicated that ten “binding guardrails” were in development. These include requirements for high-risk AI developers to create risk management plans, test systems before and after deployment, establish complaint mechanisms, share data after adverse events, and open records for third-party assessment.
These guardrails should work within the framework of a stand-alone AI law that could be used to categorize technologies by risk, with strict rules for high-risk AI and less regulation to promote lower-risk tools.
But the government backed down from it…