Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. AI is already having a significant impact on the country and is rapidly evolving. My community is concerned that the government does have enough urgency in addressing AI, particularly because it took three years to develop an AI strategy. How are you thinking about the impact of AI on the economy, and how will the budget urgently address both capturing the upside opportunities and managing the downside risks?

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you to the member for Wentworth for her question and also for participating in the government's reform roundtable towards the end of last year where artificial intelligence was a big focus of the discussions because we know how important that is to the future of our economy. Of course, I would contest the inference in her question to how long it's taken the government to get our thinking together on this. We've been working on some of these really important questions and making, I think, some substantial progress.

The honourable member knows, as every member on this side of the House knows, that AI is a transformational technology, and we want to make sure that Australians are the biggest beneficiaries of this change rather than victims of this change. We brought forward the release of Australia's National AI Plan in response to the urgency of some of the most contentious and most important policy issues. Here I want to acknowledge the really important work in our team by the member for Parramatta, who brings an extraordinary amount of intellectual horsepower to these questions, and also Minister Tim Ayres, the minister for industry in the other place. The member for Parramatta works very closely with Minister Ayres on these key questions. Together they released our AI plan on 2 December last year. It is a comprehensive road map to build an AI enabled economy that harnesses the full potential of artificial intelligence for the benefit of all Australians.

The National AI Plan, which our colleagues released on behalf of the government, really has three goals. The first is to capture the opportunities of AI, including attracting more investment. The second is to spread the benefits of AI, whether it's in public services, building skills or public organisations. And the third is to keep Australians safe. The important work that we need to do together to make sure that the—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wentworth on a point of order?

Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question specifically went to the budget in relation to AI.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, but your question talked about community concerns. You said it took years to develop a strategy, you asked what the government's approach is to AI and then you spoke about developing a response regarding the budget. The Treasurer is being directly relevant to the question he was asked in terms of what the government is doing. I appreciate there was an end part to the question, but, under the standing orders, the Treasurer is entitled to answer the question and he is being directly relevant.

Jim Chalmers (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This plan is about capturing these economic opportunities. When it comes to the budget, we've got three pieces of investment already rolling out: $29.9 million for the AI Safety Institute, $1 billion through the National Reconstruction Fund and $166 million for government AI. Here I acknowledge the work of Minister Gallagher, working with the other colleagues. When it comes to the upcoming budget, we've made it really clear that a big focus of the upcoming budget, in addition to inflation and in addition to global uncertainty, will be this productivity challenge that the honourable member knows has been hanging around in our economy for some decades. AI can be part of the solution to our productivity challenge if we manage it right and maximise the opportunities along the lines of the AI plan. AI and productivity more broadly are a really important part of the deliberations and discussions that we've been having on this side of the House as we lead up to the government's fifth budget in May.