AI challenge for Australia: Whose interests would OpenAI's blueprint serve?
With its 'Economic Blueprint' in hand, a delegation from OpenAI put forward a case for why 'Australia needs to act more boldly and decisively to maximise AI's possibilities'; because doing so could create the 'backbone of future economic growth, create jobs, boost productivity, and usher in a new generation of entrepreneurship'.
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ABC News
9 hours ago
- ABC News
AI and automated decision making in government
Robodebt has shown that relying on automated decision making tools can be disastrous. And there are other examples where AI has had terrible consequences. But there is no doubt that there are some efficiencies and positives to its use. What checks and balances could be developed to guide the safe and ethical use of AI in government operations, policy making and service delivery? A panel focus on practical outcomes at the recent Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society's annual symposium hosted by Damien Carrick. This program is edited highlights from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society Symposium 2 July 2025 Automated Social Services – Building Inclusive Digital Futures, University of Queensland St Lucia Campus Guests Kate Allingham, CEO of Economic Justice Australia Alexandra Sinclair, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Sydney Professor Kimberlee Weatherall, a member of the Federal Governments AI Advisory Council Emeritus Law Professor Terry Carney, University of Sydney, former member of the AAT and who played a very significant role is alerting Australia to the robodebt disaster. Further Information A Map of Automated decision-making in the NSW Public Sector, March 2024, A special report under Section 31 of the NSW Ombudsman Act 1974 Use of automated decision making by government, Consultation Paper November 2024 Attorney-General's Department Robodebt Royal Commission Final Report, July 2023
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
State's move on ‘vile' AI deepfakes
The NSW Coalition will seek to outlaw the distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes following a string of high-profile incidents involving students, teachers, and workers. The Bill, which is yet to be introduced to parliament, would create new criminal offences in NSW for producing and/or distributing sexually explicit deepfakes. It would also cover threats to share deepfakes without consent, including privately, and empower courts to order the removal of 'synthetic abuse' material. Opposition leader Mark Speakman said women and girls in NSW had been left exposed by a failure by the Labor government to keep pace with new technology. 'This is a form of abuse, plain and simple. Women and girls are being targeted, violated, and humiliated by code,' Mr Speakman said. 'The emotional toll is devastating. Victims are often left without recourse, knowing these fake images can live on the internet forever.' Shadow attorney-general Alister Henskins said the law 'must modernise' to recognise digitally faked images, audio, and video were a 'crime'. Fifteen-year-old Matilda 'Tilly' Rosewarne took her own life after relentless bullying that included a fake nude image. Supplied Credit: Supplied 'If it's not your body or voice, it's not your right to control another person's autonomy. That principle must be written into NSW law,' Mr Henskins said. In 2023, sexually explicit deepfake videos accounted for 98 per cent of the 95,820 deepfake videos that were online – most of them depicting women. An April report by the NSW Parliamentary Research Service found that intimate image offences were 'not designed with deepfakes in mind'. The report found the existing offences had become outdated in a 'relatively short period of time' due to the rapid advancement of technology. Recent Commonwealth offences, also applicable in NSW, were also found to be unable to 'do all the work' when it came to deepfakes. It comes more than three years after the death of 15-year-old Matilda 'Tilly' Rosewarne, who took her own life after bullying that included a fake nude image. Her mother, Emma Mason, attended the NSW and South Australian governments' joint summits earlier this year into the effects of social media on youths. The national eSafety Commission found last year that there had been a 550 per cent increase in explicit deepfakes year on year since 2019, many made with AI. Opposition leader Mark Speakman said women and girls in NSW had been left exposed to 'vile' deepfakes. NewsWire / Jeremy Piper Credit: News Corp Australia NSW opposition spokeswoman for women Felicity Wilson said the impact of AI deepfakes was being felt by women 'every single day, across the state'. 'It's happening in our schools, where teachers and students are being targeted,' she said. 'It's happening in our sporting fields, where our women athletes are being targeted, in our workplaces, and in people's homes, where it's being used for control and oppressing women in relationships.' Ms Wilson said women were 'crying out' for better action and called on men to support the legislation. 'We know that AI can be an incredibly powerful tool for good, but when it's used to abuse and degrade and humiliate women, that is something that's no longer innovation,' she said. 'It's abuse, and we're going to make a difference by passing this legislation through this parliament.'
The Australian
a day ago
- The Australian
Why Generative AI is becoming part of the infrastructure of work
Australian workplaces are undergoing a significant transformation. Changing workforce demographics and shifting values are reshaping employee expectations, all while the nation continues to face productivity challenges. In this moment of change, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents a powerful opportunity for businesses to reimagine how work gets done and boost productivity. At Deloitte Australia, this shift began a year ago with the launch of our in-house GenAI platform, MyAssist. What started as a pilot with roughly 1300 users aimed at supporting tasks including research, analysis, data handling, and code development, has evolved into a foundational tool available to about 12,000 of our people across Australia, and used by more than half our workforce in their daily roles. 'In just 12 months, MyAssist has processed over 3.65 million questions and approximately 20 billion words – boosting productivity and transforming how our teams work,' says Slav Tabachnik, national GenAI transformation leader at Deloitte Australia. 'That includes everything from answering general productivity queries, to specifically changing ways we work in certain parts of our delivery life cycle, always within the boundaries of our security, privacy, and policy frameworks.' Trusted AI that's built to work MyAssist is built to meet Deloitte's standards and Australian data governance requirements, with all data stored locally and protected by robust security and access controls. It provides a secure, compliant environment for employees to confidently explore AI at work. Building on this strong foundation of trustworthy AI, MyAssist also removes technical barriers, making AI accessible to all users regardless of coding ability. With just three simple steps, anyone can build custom AI applications. For more advanced users, tools enable the creation of sophisticated apps with minimal coding effort. This design creates a trusted, flexible and scalable platform grounded in real-world work habits and empowers people to use AI as a genuine collaborator. From general productivity to work redesign What's especially powerful is how our teams leverage MyAssist creatively to solve specific business challenges. Our Strategy, Risk & Transactions team launched a new business case developer app on MyAssist, a tool designed to bring structure and speed to early stage project planning. By providing a clear framework for proposals, it helps improve quality and accelerate decision-making from the outset. 'We created the app to fast-track the initial stages of planning,' says Tom Abbot, Deloitte Australia director and app developer. 'It allows us to shape early ideas quickly and complete the first 20–30 per cent of a business case in hours rather than weeks.' Another standout example is the statement of work (SOW) review tool, now widely adopted firm-wide. This tool helps draft SOWs in line with internal quality and risk policies, identifying potential risks early and significantly reducing review time. 'The SOW Reviewer provides immediate, specific feedback on scope, deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities,' says Sophie Andrews, Deloitte Australia director and developer behind the app. 'By reducing document review cycles and turnaround times, it allows teams to focus on tailoring details for each client – ultimately improving service quality.' AI-powered innovation driving productivity Across Deloitte, we've uncovered close to 100 high-impact MyAssist uses so far, and that number continues to grow each week. The platform-based approach taken with MyAssist enables teams to drive ongoing innovation, enhance productivity and transform the way they work. Audit teams are accelerating report analysis, completing work that once took weeks in less than a day. Meanwhile, Tax & Legal professionals have reduced the time to draft R&D Tax Incentive applications by 40–50 per cent. But the benefits go beyond efficiency. MyAssist enhances communication and collaboration. Its translation capabilities help multilingual teams work more seamlessly, while meeting summary and interview synthesis tools make it easier to distil insights from hours of audio. Looking ahead, Deloitte is set to expand MyAssist with sophisticated agentic applications, multimodal text, image and voice processing capabilities and intelligent task automation – heralding a future where human-AI collaboration is further embedded into the way that we work. The future of work is already here, reshaping business Our experience and research show productivity platforms powered by GenAI – like MyAssist – are now table stakes for organisations. Those that haven't progressed with GenAI are falling behind. GenAI is no longer a future promise, it's already reshaping Australian workplaces. By automating routine tasks, GenAI is enabling people to concentrate on more complex, strategic work. This shift is happening now, reshaping processes and raising the bar for productivity and competitiveness. As GenAI becomes deeply embedded in day-to-day operations, Australian organisations are rethinking how they use it to redefine their competitive edge and unlock new value. The question is no longer if you will embrace GenAI, but how quickly? - Disclaimer This publication contains general information only and Deloitte is not, by means of this publication, rendering accounting, business, financial, investment, legal, tax, or other professional advice or services. This publication is not a substitute for such professional advice or services, nor should it be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect your business. Before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business, you should consult a qualified professional adviser. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication. About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ('DTTL'), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see to learn more. Copyright © 2025 Deloitte Development LLC. All rights reserved. -
