Coalition
Coalition demands swift AI development as 'national security imperative' amid growing foreign interference
The Coalition has pushed for a hasty development of artificial intelligence technology as a “national security imperative” due to the rise in foreign interference.
Speaking to The Australian, shadow defence minister James Paterson advised against over-regulating AI as he declared winning the artificial intelligence race was a “national security imperative”.
Mr Paterson warned foreign authoritarian states such as China, Russia and Iran were undermining public support for AI in Western nations.
“The nations who secure sovereign AI will not just win commercial and economic advantages but a strategic and military edge too,” Mr Paterson said.
“So we should not be surprised if foreign authoritarian states try to throw sand in the gears of AI adoption among their potential rivals.
“Australia should not allow foreign interference to get in the way of the immense opportunities offered by data centre investment and the sovereign AI capability that comes with it.”
Last week, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor vowed to “get the balance right” on AI amid fears of job losses.
The Opposition Leader said AI could be "useful" and its benefits were self-evident, given Australia’s uptake.
“People are seeing that every day. They’re using it all the time,” he told Nine’s Today last Monday.
“On the other hand, we don’t want it to control us. So, we’ve got to get the balance right.
“We’ve got to… make sure the copyright laws are right so it’s not stealing from Australian creators and creatives – that’s incredibly important.”
Mr Taylor said the productivity boosts from AI would in turn push wages up.
“That’s how we get prosperity so we’ve got to use it for our benefit – not have it use us for its benefit,” Mr Taylor said.
“We do believe in raising standards of living. We know technology can help that, but that means it has to be used for our benefit.”
https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/politics/coalition-demands-swift-ai-de...