A parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence (AI) has been delayed by almost 10 weeks as all eyes turn to the presidential race in the US.
The Select Committee on Adopting Artificial Intelligence was due to present its final report on September 19, but the Senate agreed to extend the reporting date to November 26 so the impacts of AI on the US election can be considered.
The parliamentary inquiry was established in March to report on the opportunities and impacts for Australia arising out of the uptake of AI technologies.
Committee chair and Labor senator Tony Sheldon said the threat that AI-generated deepfake political materials pose to democracies around the world is very real.
“Social media giants must take more responsibility for disinformation circulating on their platforms, and the Government’s reforms are aimed precisely at achieving this,” he told AdNews.
“It’s critical we strike the right balance between upholding free speech and political expression while protecting vulnerable people from sophisticated deepfakes designed to mislead and deceive.
“Political deepfake laws, like any reforms relating to political expression, need to be carefully considered, widely consulted on, and receive broad support across the political spectrum.
“If we don’t approach the regulation of political deepfakes cautiously, we risk undermining the very public trust in our democratic institutions that we seek to protect.”
Public hearings have heard calls for restrictions to be issued for the use of AI tools in fields such as healthcare, media and art.
Representatives from digital giants Google, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon have also faced questions about how businesses might implement the technology and how it can be misused.
Meta told the inquiry it had been collecting data from public photos and posts from Facebook and Instagram and feeding it into its AI training models since 2007.
The union for the arts sector, the MEAA, says new laws are urgently needed to regulate the burgeoning use of AI, saying Australia’s unique culture will be threatened by the loss of creative sector jobs and that public trust in the media will be undermined
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.