The Australian government has appointed a panel of legal and scientific experts to advise on possible barriers to research, the development and use of artificial intelligence, its latest step towards mandatory regulation of this rapidly evolving technology.
Industry Minister Ed Husic on Wednesday announced the 12 members of the government’s new Artificial Intelligence Expert Group, including Bronwyn Fox, chief scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Csiro, the leading research institution. from Australia.
Husic said the group had been formed to advise the government on AI transparency, testing and accountability, including “options for AI guardrails in high-risk environments.”
“We want to strike the right balance and also allow low-risk AI to flourish unhindered,” he said.
The development of AI has been an area of growing concern for governments around the world., and the technology is accelerating faster than many had anticipated. Speaking alongside Husic, CSIRO’s Fox said he did not expect regulation to be needed so quickly.
“The pace of change and pace of advancement in artificial intelligence gives us incredible opportunities to realize amazing benefits both domestically and internationally,” he said. “But we need to make sure we are innovating responsibly.”
The announcement comes after Husic said in mid-January that Australia would pursue two separate paths for AI regulation: Voluntary guidelines for low-risk use and mandatory restrictions for higher-risk areas.
However, andThe government has yet to announce a timeline for regulations, and Husic says it’s a complex task to define what constitutes high-risk AI. The panel was formed to help authorities determine that, he said.
But pressure is mounting on the government to implement its regulations. Danielle Wood, chair of the country’s Productivity Commission, warned on Monday that Australia was moving too slowly to take advantage of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.
