Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has touched down in the US to spruik his government’s approach to technology and artificial intelligence.
On Saturday morning Australian time, Mr Albanese said Australia was a “world leader” when it came to safety, technology, and the digital economy.
He spoke from San Jose, California, ahead of meeting with Apple chief executive Tim Cook.
The Prime Minister said the meeting would particularly focus on the issues of child safety and technology.
Apple’s parental control measures were in part inspired by Australia’s social media ban for those under the age of 16.
The tech executive issued an open invitation to the Prime Minister to visit the company’s California headquarters following a phone call between the pair in June.
Mr Albanese is on a week-long trip to the US, spearheaded by a visit to Silicon Valley and the UN General Assembly in New York.
Digital safety will also form a key component of Mr Albanese’s visit to New York to take part in the UN’s high-level week of meetings, the largest annual gathering of world leaders.
He said a lot of discussions in the US, including those at the UN, would be about “artificial intelligence and making sure that we seize the opportunities whilst being very conscious about mitigating the risks that are required, which is a part of the global discussion that’s taking place”.
Mr Albanese said advancing technologies were something the “whole world” is “grappling with”.
“(AI) is a technology that’s here right now so we need to make sure that we shape its use in the interests of humanity rather than allow it to shape us,” he said.
“This is something that goes beyond national boundaries and that’s why it requires a discussion at the multi-lateral level.”
Efforts to improve internet safety are expected to feature prominently in the Prime Minister’s events, after teen social media ban talks led the way in his 2025 appearance.
Since then, the federal government has announced plans to introduce a digital duty of care for tech giants to remove harmful content online, as well as allow users to opt out of algorithmic feeds on social media platforms.
“What we saw in the last year is that more than 20 countries have taken up legislative options to try to protect children and make sure that this technology works in the interest of their own population,” Mr Albanese said from California.
Labor has also laid out national standards for AI companies, requiring them to be powered by renewable energy, with data centres having an obligation to underwrite new power supply.
He said the government’s Digital Duty of Care policy would be on the agenda to discuss as well.
- with AAP
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