Australia to Impose Tough New Rules on Government Use of AI in Decision-Making

Canberra moves to curb automated systems as artificial intelligence use expands across public agencies

Australia's government is drafting tough new rules governing how its departments and agencies use artificial intelligence to make automated decisions, according to The Guardian.

The rules, part of a new national plan, are meant to ensure safety is built into AI processes used inside government, prioritizing fairness, accuracy and transparency. Senior ministers in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's government have begun drawing up the framework as officials grapple with the rapid growth of AI adoption and a boom in data center construction across the country.

The plan is expected to extend beyond government decision-making into broader consumer protections, workplace safety and privacy rules, The Guardian reported. It comes alongside a push within the Labor government for separate digital duty of care legislation aimed at holding tech platforms more accountable for harms to users.

The move places Australia among a growing number of governments trying to set guardrails around AI systems that increasingly influence decisions affecting citizens, even as the underlying technology continues to evolve faster than regulation can keep pace.

— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian.