Australia joins global push for AI restrictions

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has gone global with his push for tighter control of artificial intelligence, joining more than 20 other leaders in a call for urgent action.

It’s just the latest in a string of increasingly desperate pleas to regulate the quickly emerging technology, including several existential warnings from the very people developing the tech.

During a trip to the USA for this week’s United Nations General Assembly, Albanese co-signed a letter along with the prime ministers of Canada, Spain, Singapore and a host of other countries.

The “call for control of frontier AI models” warns their rapid development “poses serious risks to safety and security if not appropriately managed.”

“Recently we have seen capable AI systems circumventing testing safeguards, exploiting vulnerabilities and gaining unauthorised access to real-world systems,” they wrote in a joint statement issued on Monday (early Tuesday AEST).

“Leading scientists and executives are warning that the pace of development could outpace our ability to manage emerging risks.

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“To realise AI’s potential, industry, governments and society must act now. 

“We must address these risks and strengthen oversight — without widening the gap between countries in access to the benefits of AI.”

The leaders demanded AI remain under human control and international law and called for better transparency, pre-deployment testing and other controls, while flagging the possible creation of an international institution to set standards.

US President Donald Trump was a notable and unsurprising absence from the list.

Even repeated calls for regulation from leaders of AI developers OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft and SpaceX owner Elon Musk have not dulled his bullish outlook on the technology, concerns about which he called a “hoax” and a “sick conspiracy”.

He doubled down on his comments in a Truth Social post on Monday that incorrectly described climate change as a hoax.

“Whoever wins AI, WINS! We are leading now over China, and everyone else, and I’m going to keep it that way!” Trump said.

AI has pushed to the forefront of global concerns amid dawning recognition that there are no industry controls, let alone any global guardrails for a technology that has many advantages but also many disadvantages and unknowns.

The UN Security Council added a high-level meeting on AI to its agenda on Wednesday afternoon, a sign of the growing apprehension and need to address the issue.

Albanese will likely meet Trump meet mid-week at a UN leaders reception.

The prime minister is also using his US trip to push for a bigger voice for Australia on the world stage, officially entering the race on Monday for a seat on the UN Security Council.

The last time Australia launched a successful campaign for one of the 10 non-permanent seats on the Security Council, Kevin Rudd was prime minister.

That diplomatic effort cost up to $40 million but Albanese promised it would be cheaper this time, trading on Australia's reputation as a peaceful, stable and reliable international partner.

“Australia … punches above our weight, and we can have an impact on the world, and that’s what I want to see Australia do,” Albanese said.

The Security Council is ostensibly the UN's most powerful body but its five permanent members each have a right of veto, often making it impossible to reach consensus on the most contentious issues.

Last time Australia was on the council, Russia infamously used its veto power to defy UN condemnation of its downing of flight MH17 that killed 38 Australians.

The US has repeatedly used its veto to block criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, where more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in retaliation for Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.