SA premier announces $3 Million royal commission into AI – as it happened

Peter Malinauskas, the South Australian premier, has announced a royal commission into artificial intelligence.

Mr Malinauskas said the major public inquiry will be held that will probe how the technology is being used – and what threats it poses.

The announcement comes after the Premier recently returned from a visit to the United States, where he met with several AI firms to explore the ways the rapidly advancing technology can be used.

Set to begin in October, the commission is estimated to cost taxpayers in the region of $3m.

It will collect evidence on the impact the technology is having on a variety of sectors, including education and public services.

“We are looking to embrace the opportunity of AI, but not in a way that leaves us with regrets,” Mr Malinauskas said.

“This rapid development cannot occur unchecked. Governments must assume its responsibility to ensure these changes improve the lives of their citizens.

“We need a serious policy response regarding what we’re doing regarding AI in schools, in industry, in public health and in arts and culture.”

The inquiry will take a similar form to approach taken when the SA government probed into social media reform.

The work carried out in SA helped to guide the eventual ban on social media for children rolled out by the federal government, which has provided a template for other governments across the world.

Australian police agencies, including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and state forces like Western Australia Police and Victoria Police, are increasingly deploying artificial intelligence to manage vast data volumes, enhance investigations, and improve operational efficiency.  Key applications include live facial recognition trials in public spaces, automated transcription and translation of evidence, and specialized tools to decode online predator slang.

The adoption of AI spans several critical areas:

Investigative Efficiency: The AFP uses AI to process massive datasets (e.g., terabytes of seized phone data), translate millions of emails, and summarize video footage to reduce officer exposure to graphic content.

Child Protection: Agencies are developing AI prototypes with Microsoft to interpret Gen Z slang and emojis in encrypted communications, aiming to identify and rescue victims of online exploitation earlier.

Surveillance and Prediction: Western Australia Police trialed live facial recognition scanning thousands of faces against watchlists, while Victoria Police and NSW Police have utilized generative AI for crime report summaries and predictive policing, though these have faced criticism regarding accuracy and bias.


Retail and Cyber Security: Tools like Auror AI streamline evidence collection from retailers for the AFP and NSW Police, while other systems detect deepfakes and analyze body-worn camera footage.
Despite these advancements, the use of AI in Australian policing faces scrutiny over privacy concerns, lack of transparency, and algorithmic bias, particularly regarding its disproportionate impact on First Nations communities and the reliability of facial recognition technologies.

Well, I have to say that AI wasn't on my bingo card for things that we need to have a Royal Commission for in this country.

Is there a State election coming up in South Australia and Malinauskas needs a big distraction? No, they've just had one.

Oh, then it must be a big distraction to take peoples' minds off the pollies' usual corruption and incompetence. Got it.

Carl D wrote on Aug 11^th, 2026 at 8:45am:

Well, I have to say that AI wasn't on my bingo card for things that we need to have a Royal Commission for in this country. Is there a State election coming up in South Australia and Malinauskas needs a big distraction? No, they've just had one. Oh, then it must be a big distraction to take peoples' minds off the pollies' usual corruption and incompetence. Got it.

Yes - the Federal Govt is $1 trillion in debt - our debt - and

all they can do is dream up ways to borrow more money for nonsense.

Albo has gotta go.