The Albanese government has released its National AI Plan to brace the economy for the future threats and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence.
As part of the announcement, the government has committed $29.9 million to establish the AI Safety Institute in early 2026.
“The National AI Plan is about making sure technology serves Australians, not the other way around,” Industry and Innovation Minister Tim Ayres said.
“This plan is focused on capturing the economic opportunities of AI, sharing the benefits broadly, and keeping Australians safe as technology evolves.
“AI will help close gaps in essential services, improve education and employment outcomes, and create well paid jobs in future industries.”
Mr Ayres said the government’s AI plan would help to ensure that AI delivered benefits to all Australians.
The three pillars of the plan include capturing opportunities, spreading the benefits of AI and keeping Australians safe.
However, the OECD has highlighted several risks linked to AI’s diffusion, including worsening income and wealth inequality by accelerating job loss through automation.
The government hopes to maximise AI benefits by investing $1 billion in technology under the National Reconstruction Fund.
It will also expand the National Broadband Network, seek to attract investment in data centres and establish a framework for generative AI in schools.
Mr Ayres said the government’s approach was focused on ensuring Australians shared in the benefits of productivity gains while minimising risks.
The 140-page National AI Plan has set out three core goals: Capturing economic opportunity, spreading benefits, and keeping people safe through regulation.
The government claimed that Australia has become a global AI player by attracting billions in data centre investment.
The plan has warned that although AI offers major productivity and competitiveness boosts, “realising the full benefits of AI will not happen by chance”.
“This plan sets out the steps the Australian government will take to support Australia to build an AI-enabled economy that is more competitive, productive and resilient.”
“Our role is to ensure settings are fit for purpose to attract and direct investment, enable successful adoption and proactively identify and address harms as appropriate.”
The plan called for the public sector to adopt AI in order to life productivity and provide better job satisfaction.
The government said the plan was intended to be adaptive, with progress tracked through national data sources and tools such as the NAIC AI Adoption Tracker.
