Submission—AI in the public sector

On 25 October 2024, the Academy made a submission to the inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities.

The Australian Academy of Science (the Academy) recommends the Government:  

• Develop a national plan and investment strategy to secure Australia’s sovereign AI capabilities, including the hardware and software needed to create and deploy at scale.
   
• Responsibly and ethically adopt and develop domestic AI capability to prepare Australia’s public sector agencies, including science agencies and the national science system. 
   
• Support development of national AI capability by scaling up investment in fundamental AI science and plan for and build future high-performance computing and data facilities for secure and responsible AI use.   
   
• Implement the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science to unlock the full potential of Australian data and to develop AI tools for Australian public sector interests.