Jacqui Lambie (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Industry and Innovation (Senator Ayres) to a question without notice I asked today relating to the artificial intelligence.

Last week I asked the Minister for Science and Minister for Industry and Innovation if submissions made to the Australian government were being assessed by AI. In reply the minister went on about how the AI Safety Institute—an institute with zero powers other than to advise—was great and would fix everything. He couldn't answer my question, basically. But my office got a call shortly after that from an insider who asked to remain anonymous, and that caller told my adviser that the minister was being loose with the truth—loose as a goose, as he put it—and that, yes, AI is being used by the government to suck up and transmit Australian data.

Today I again asked the minister why we weren't investing in Australian made, and once again he couldn't answer. Canada's PM made it very clear in his speech to parliament last week. Prime Minister Carney told the Australian people that middle powers like Australia need to invest in their own AI to avoid getting caught between China and the US. Canada is doing this to the tune of $4.4 billion—and what is Australia doing? Let me tell you, Australians, what they are doing with our AI. They are simply rolling out the red carpet to companies like Palantir, the company that has been linked, by the way, to the targeted killing of journalists and the illegal use of US citizens' data. That's right—US citizens' data. But we're happy to hand our own over to them. Are you kidding me? Palantir is the company that is the leader in the development of agentic AI. Agentic AI, for people who do not know, is artificial intelligence that thinks for itself and makes its own decisions. Scary, yes? This is what your government is using.

I've also heard that big tech is pressuring our government to do a deal over our copyright laws—otherwise, we won't get their data centres. Holding you hostage over there, are they, Government? They're holding you hostage. You don't want to invest in your own data centres and you do not want to do your own AI. What's even more telling is that this is such a serious matter in the 21st century and you haven't even put a minister in that position. That is telling. It's extremely telling. Loose as a goose, you're throwing our data everywhere. That is what your government of today is doing, Australians. Big tech are running the line that we do not need our own Australian-made AI because we can use tech's AI. I've been speaking to some real experts in real time over the last few days and I have been told that this is absolute rubbish. We have the capacity to make small-language AI models designed for particular purposes. I know for a fact that there are an amazing AI people who more than capable of making Australian-made AI. The government just needs to back them. That's all they're waiting for. But, first of all, I suggest you put in a minister.

Question agreed to.