SA and WA appointments ready states for AI

The South Australian Government is the first to create a ministry role with a focus on artificial intelligence.

In a mini reshuffle – following last week’s resignation of Police Minister Dan Cregan – SA Premier Peter Malinauskas appointed IT expert Michael Brown as Assistant Minister to the Premier for Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy.

Peter Malinauskas (sa.gov.au)

The role stresses “the importance of artificial intelligence for the state’s future,” said Malinauskas. “I know that [Brown] will tackle the AI challenge with ambition, purpose and focus to make sure we can seize every opportunity for the future.”

Acknowledging that there is a “global race to scale up and adopt AI,” a government statement emphasised the need for SA “to be at the forefront of this technology.”

SA was the nation’s first jurisdiction to establish a facility solely dedicated to AI research when the Australian Institute for Machine Learning launched in 2018.

“But there is more to do,” said the statement. Brown will work across government alongside the private sector to secure the state’s “AI advantage and ensure South Australia is harnessing all the benefits of AI.”

The digital economy component of the portfolio will give Brown responsibility for ensuring that SA remains up-to-speed with the “ever-changing digital landscape in our increasingly digital world.”

As a former IT professional – with a particular interest in AI’s role in economic development and social impact – Brown “is a perfect fit for this new role,” said the statement.

In response to his appointment, Brown said: “Artificial intelligence is going to transform our economy and the way many of us work. I am determined to ensure South Australia is at the forefront of this transition, so we can seize every opportunity.”

AI experts join WA advisory board

Appointed to advise government on the safe application of AI in the public sector, the seven members bring to the board a broad range of specialties including technical, legal, academic, governance, community engagement, and cyber security.

The members include:

  • Alex Jenkins – chair and founder, Curtin AI in Research Group
  • Natalia Kacperek – chief data officer, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet
  • Dr Wei Liu – associate professor, The University of Western Australia
  • Adam Lloyd – area director community and virtual care, East Metropolitan Health Service
  • Dr Ian Oppermann – co-founder, ServiceGen
  • Janie Plant – senior legal counsel, Capgemini
  • Gohar Rind – managing director, Yira Yarkiny Group.
Stephen Dawson (wa.gov.au)

“I would like to congratulate the founding board members on their appointment. They bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and diversity in the rapidly evolving AI technology,” Innovation and Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson said.

“The talent that exists in Western Australia within AI technologies and related areas is inspiring and I look forward to working with the board members to enable innovative, secure, safe and responsible use of AI across the WA government,” he added.

As well as advising on policy that recognises the increasing reliance of AI tools in WA’s public sector, a key role of the new board includes supporting the implementation of an ethical framework.

Introduced in March last year, the framework aims to ensure the safe and secure use of AI across government by specifying the principles that must be applied by agencies who are designing, developing or using the technology.

In that regard, the board “will ensure the appropriate checks and balances are in place as AI is increasingly trialled and adopted across government,” Dawson said.

WA is the second Australian jurisdiction to adopt an AI checks and balances process; the NSW government introduced such a requirement in 2022. One of first in the world, the NSW framework has been used as a template to inform a national model, which will align with those developed by the remaining state and territory governments.

The members of the WA AI advisory board will serve a two-year term with the first meeting planned for the first quarter of 2025.

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