Australia has signed the Bletchley Declaration, a global initiative aimed at promoting the safe, ethical, and responsible development of artificial intelligence (AI). 

The declaration, supported by 27 countries, including the US, UK, and China, emphasises the need for AI to be designed and used in a safe, human-centric, trustworthy, and responsible manner.

Australia’s commitment was made at an AI Safety Summit hosted by the UK Government, where Australia was represented by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic. 

The summit brought together governments, AI industry leaders, civil society organisations, and academics to address the potential risks associated with AI and explore international collaboration to mitigate these risks.

In addition to endorsing the Bletchley Declaration, Australia and other nations and AI companies have acknowledged the importance of cooperative efforts in testing the next generation of AI models for national security, safety, and societal risks. 

The UK is establishing an AI Safety Institute to evaluate AI models, and Australia will collaborate with the institute to share expertise and knowledge.

To enhance transparency, the signatories have committed to producing an annual "Frontier AI State of the Science" report summarising the latest global research on AI safety. 

CSIRO Chief Scientist Bronwyn Fox will represent Australia on the panel overseeing this report.

The Bletchley Declaration is seen as a positive step towards global AI governance. 

However, experts have noted that while it addresses the need for safeguards, it falls short of specifying these safeguards or establishing a timeline for their implementation. 

Additionally, there is a call for more urgency in addressing AI safety, fairness, and accountability in AI systems already in use, not just the most powerful “frontier models”.