Summary: Australia’s AI Action Plan covers four focus areas to turn us into a global leader in AI. The focus areas are: using AI to transform business, building on Australia's AI talent, using AI to solve national challenges, and ensuring AI is used responsibly and inclusively.
- Date:
- Author:
- Phillipa Martin
AI Action Plan and the Digital Economy Strategy
In our April DTIG on the Digital Economy Strategy 2022 Update, we looked at a variety of actions that had taken place since the Digital Economy Strategy was first released. One of those milestones was the release of Australia’s AI Action Plan mid last year.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in Australia’s overarching goal of being: “a leading digital economy and society by 2030.”
The AI vision
The government’s vision for AI is simple: “Our vision is to establish Australia as a global leader in developing and adopting trusted, secure and responsible AI.”
The AI plan
The AI plan formalises some of the work that’s already been happening in the AI space. It’s also the result of nearly 90 submissions to the AI discussion paper.
The plan highlights four focus areas:
- Using AI to transform businesses
- Attracting and building the world’s best AI talent
- Using AI to solve national challenges
- Using AI responsibly and inclusively
AI to transform businesses
This focus area includes the following actions:
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$53.8 million to set up the national AI Centre in CSIRO’s Data61 and four AI and Digital Capability Centres
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$12 million for the Catalysing the AI Opportunity in our Regions program to cofund grants for AI in regional areas
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The Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) program, which supports industry-led AI projects
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$1.5 billion for the Modern Manufacturing Strategy to fund manufacturing projects
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$12.7 million to Digital Solutions – Australian Small Business Advisory Services to help small businesses access digital technologies
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The Digital Business-to-Business (B2B) Partnerships Initiative, working with SMEs to drive adoption and access to digital products and services
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The Digital Foundations for Agriculture Strategy, which brings digital technologies including AI to agriculture
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The Research and Development Tax Incentive to help reduce R&D costs
AI talent
This focus area includes the following actions:
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$24.7 million for targeted scholarships in the Next Generation AI Graduates program (complementing the Next Generation Emerging Technology Graduates Program)
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$10.7 million for the Digital Skills Cadetship Trial, which offers 4–6 month cadetships that combine formal training with on-the-job training
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$5.8 million to scope a University Research Commercialisation Scheme
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The Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce to find global talent and bring them to Australia
Solving Australia’s challenges
This focus area includes the following actions:
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$33.7 million to set up the AI Solutions to Build a Stronger Australia program, which will focus on AI solutions that help solve Australia’s economic, health, social, infrastructure and environmental challenges
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CSIRO’s Machine Learning and AI Future Science Platform, which brings AI into a variety of science-based areas
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$19 million to medical research that uses AI, through the Medical Research Future Fund
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AI for defence across cyber, maritime, air, space and land
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The Digital Atlas of Australia to bring together a wide variety of datasets
Responsible and inclusive AI
This focus area includes the following actions:
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The continued implementation of Australia’s AI Ethics Principles
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Promoting the benefits of AI to businesses and citizens
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The new Data Availability and Transparency Act 2022, which came into force on 1 April this year
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Related data issues through the Australian Data Strategy (read our blog on the Australian Data Strategy) and the Consumer Data Right
Salsa Digital’s take
The Australian Government is doing a lot of work across many areas of digital transformation, and AI is just one example. AI provides exceptional potential to change the way we live our lives, and it’s great to see the government providing the framework and driving advances here in Australia. It’s definitely a key area for digital transformation and one we’re following. We’re looking forward to what AI technologies or processes eventuate in the digital government space.
