Artificial intelligence (AI) is already reshaping economies, labour markets and the information environment. Its ultimate trajectory remains uncertain, but the scale of potential change is comparable to the industrial revolution. The decisions being made right now will shape what that change looks like for Australians.
Australia has done remarkably little to prepare. The Australian Government has identified broad aims for AI policy but has implemented very little actual policy to achieve them. This reflects the genuine uncertainty around AI’s future development – no one knows exactly how powerful AI will become, or how quickly. Perhaps the current wave of excitement will ultimately produce little more than a generation of very effective chatbots. But most think the implications could be far larger.
