CEO regrets her firm took on Facebook moderation work after staff ‘traumatised’

Artificial intelligence experts are warning that the Australian government faces a series of challenges in regulating artificial intelligence. These challenges include the risk of job outsourcing to countries with weaker regulations, the need to address the power of tech companies, and the battle against biased data.

The Labor Party is currently working on developing a policy and framework for the use of AI within Australia, with the intention of including it in their national platform. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has also called for the creation of a national regulatory body to oversee AI policy.

Dr Dana McKay, a senior lecturer in Innovative Interactive Technologies at RMIT University, has highlighted the increasing interest both in Australia and globally in promoting the ethical use of AI language models. This includes areas such as fair compensation for content creators, particularly within the music and images industries.

Currently, there are no regulations in Australia specifically governing the use of AI language models. However, the federal government has introduced voluntary guiding principles for businesses to adhere to when designing, developing, and implementing AI solutions in the workplace.

Dr McKay acknowledges that the regulation of AI brings the risk that multinational organisations may choose to relocate to countries with more favorable conditions. This would restrict the government's ability to take action.

AI systems learn and make decisions based on the data provided for their training, often reflecting the biases or inequalities within that data. Damith Herath, an associate professor in robotics and art at the University of Canberra, emphasizes the need to consider the moral right of companies to use public data for commercial purposes. 

 He also highlights the rapid development of these technologies and the government's responsibility to assess their implications. 

- CyberBeat