Standards Australia has called for national feedback on setting standards for the application of artificial intelligence technologies in Australia, as part of the release of a new discussion paper.
Developing Standards for Artificial Intelligence: Hearing Australia’s Voice outlines how Standards Australia would work with industry, government, civil society and academia to apply standards and materials, such as technical specifications and handbooks, to support the development and use of artificial intelligence in Australia.
Standards Australia acting chief executive Adrian O’Connell said setting standards for AI would be much like other standards that have been established in areas from information security to data governance.
“Australians are fast adopters of new technologies, particularly in the home environment. Google Home, Alexa and Siri, for example, have become part of many people’s everyday lives,” he said.
“For this reason, standards in this space can help guide the rapid development of AI to meet our changing expectations as a community, in a way that brings industry, community and governments together.”
Mr O’Connell highlighted that setting standards for AI would give Australia a competitive advantage in the development of new applications.
“Standards, as an adaptive form of regulation, can play a pivotal role, and accelerate the adoption of trusted AI, not just locally, but globally,” he wrote in the discussion paper.
“For a country like Australia, which is a net-importer of such technologies, this is a pivotal consideration.”
As part of the consultation, Standards Australia has requested feedback specifically on answering outstanding questions such as what areas of opportunities are there for AI adoption, how can Australia use AI to enhance competitive advantage, what extent should standards play in the implementation of AI, and what are the potential consequences if no AI standards is set.
Standards Australia will host consultation roundtables across the country in key capital cities over the next six weeks. Participants have until July 31 to provide feedback.
All feedback received would be used to inform the Standards Australia Artificial Intelligence Roadmap report that would be delivered to the Australian government in September.
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