Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a new set of “Australian standards” for AI, and a dedicated “Office of AI” in his own Government department.
If they pass Parliament, the standards would require AI data centres to generate as much power as they use, and minimise water usage.
The Government has also promised the strongest possible copyright protections for Australian artists.
It comes days after Anthropic (the company behind Claude) said its $21.6 billion investment plan in Australia depends on getting clarity on copyright.
Office of AI
Until now, Australia’s approach to AI has been split across the Government, with different ministers handling different parts: energy, copyright, productivity, workplaces, schools, defence.
Albanese said AI “touches on the work of every minister and department,” so the Government’s response had so far been “issue by issue, sector by sector”.
Now, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (PM&C) will have an Office of AI to “bring together the work that Ministers across Government are undertaking”. It will work with ministers to design the new standards.
Data centres
The Government announced rules for data centres in March, which it is now incorporating into the standards.
Albanese said the next generation of large data centres will have to be “net generators, not net users” of energy, funding their own grid connection so “no costs are passed on to homes or businesses.” They’ll also have to minimise their water use and pay for any extra water infrastructure needed.
The PM said he would work with state governments to find “the most appropriate locations” for data centres, with input from local communities.
Copyright
Australian artists have long raised concerns about whether foreign companies who invest in AI data centres here might get an exemption from copyright law to train their systems.
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On Wednesday, Albanese said: “No company should use Australian creative works to train AI without the artist’s control.”
He emphasised that artists should have control of “the price and value of their work,” and that Australia would work to have “the strongest copyright protections” in this area.
Other issues
The PM warned that “extremists and state actors already use AI to create propaganda aimed at young people”.
He said Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is working with international partners to tackle these issues, but didn’t detail any new laws or programmes.
Albanese also flagged the Government’s existing efforts to establish a “digital duty of care” for online platforms and the risks chatbots pose to children.
Response
Greens Senator David Shoebridge called the Office of AI “another door inside the PM’s office for tech lobbyists to knock on,” rather than an “independent regulator with strong statutory powers”.
On the other hand, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor said he was concerned Australia can’t “make the most of AI” through “more bureaucracy”.
A spokesperson for Anthropic said the company takes its “responsibility to meet the terms set out by the Australian Government” seriously.
What’s next?
Albanese will seek agreement on the new standards from premiers and chief ministers at next month’s National Cabinet meeting.
The Government aims to bring legislation to Parliament “early next year”.
Until then, the detail of exactly how the standards will work, including how artists get paid, is still being worked out.
