Australia is facing a challenge of declining productivity growth, and the Australian Government’s Productivity Commission is examining the role of AI in this issue. The Commission recently released a three-paper report titled “Making The Most Of The AI Opportunity: Productivity, Regulation And Data Access” to further investigate this potential.
To maximize productivity gains from AI, the report suggests a soft-touch approach to regulation and recommends that government departments at all levels contribute their own data and resources to support the development of quality AI models.
The research report consists of three separate papers. The first paper highlights the productivity benefits that AI is already delivering to businesses and individuals, while also acknowledging the risks it poses to consumer trust. The Commission suggests that governments can address this trust challenge by providing their own high-quality data to facilitate the development of quality AI models.
The second paper discusses the benefits and risks of AI and proposes a more holistic approach to regulation, considering factors such as social norms, market pressures, coding architecture, and public trust. The report cites the soon-to-be-introduced European AI laws as a reference for AI regulation in Australia.
The third paper emphasizes the importance of data policy in the AI era. It suggests a national data strategy to address concerns such as privacy, quality, and price. The report recommends that future regulations and guidelines regarding data use and analytics align with the principles of the national data strategy to ensure secure and consistent development and use of AI and other data-intensive technologies.
Overall, the research suggests that the government should actively participate in shaping AI development and resist fear mongering. Collaboration between the private and public sectors is essential, and potential opportunities include industry self-regulation initiatives, co-designing AI policies with stakeholders, establishing AI ethics advisory boards, and promoting public sector adoption of AI technologies.
