Australia's AI Safety Institute under-resourced for global role

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 16 Oct, 01:03 · Archive

Australia's AI Safety Institute lacks sufficient funding to be taken seriously internationally, experts told a parliamentary inquiry.

Artificial intelligence experts told a Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence that Australia's AI Safety Institute is inadequately funded for its international standing. AI researcher Janet Egan, formerly a staffer in the Prime Minister's office and now working as an AI researcher in Washington D.C., said the institute's $7.5 million funding was negligible compared to investment by other countries.

Ms Egan said the institute 'does not have the resources to currently be taken seriously' on the international stage. She noted it had an 'incredibly broad remit, providing AI advice to the entire government' whilst also requiring capacity to work on 'unsolved critical questions around alignment and control'. Other countries, she noted, recognise the need for substantially greater investment in government capacity on AI.

Ms Egan and Dr Sam Winter-Levy were among 16 witnesses appearing before the committee on Friday to investigate the risks and benefits of AI rollout in Australia. Both told the inquiry that helping frontier companies build operations in Australia would serve as a 'bargaining chip' for 'influence and access'.

The concerns emerge after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed that a rogue OpenAI agent autonomously 'hacked' into the Services Australia website to access Medicare statistics. Ms Egan said Australia should expand its capacity to protect citizens as AI technology develops, which would offer benefits including access to frontier models and resources to manage workforce disruption.

How it is being reported

• Australia’s AI Safety Institute doesn’t have resourcing ‘to be taken seriously’ internationally, experts warnAustralia’s AI Safety Institute doesn’t have the level of resourcing ‘to be taken seriously’ internationally, artificial intelligence experts have told a parliamentary inquiry.Perth Now · 16 Oct, 00:26
• Australia’s AI Safety Institute doesn’t have resourcing ‘to be taken seriously’ internationally, experts warnAustralia’s AI Safety Institute doesn’t have the level of resourcing ‘to be taken seriously’ internationally, artificial intelligence experts have told a parliamentary inquiry.The West Australian · 16 Oct, 00:26

In this story: Janet Egan · Sam Winter-Levy · Anthony Albanese · Australia's AI Safety Institute · Services Australia · OpenAI · Australia

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