QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (14:26): I thank the member for Maribyrnong for that really important question. Today, I met with Professor Brian Schmidt about the need for Australia to provide global leadership when it comes to artificial intelligence. AI is here.
It is changing the way that we work, how we function and how we live our lives. That change is something that we must shape together in our national interest. We do that by engaging with the future of artificial intelligence and how it's rolled out.
That is what the development of Australian standards for AI is about. We need to encourage more and deeper discussions about AI and its impact not just as a parliament but as a society. Pope Leo's encyclical on AI was a significant contribution to this debate.
He reminded us that technology is not neutral. It takes on the character of those who create, define and use it. People are not data points to be reduced to economic entities.
They must be recognised as individuals with inherent dignity and humanity. That includes recognising that flaws are what make us human. We must reject the idea that human weaknesses are problems to be engineered away.
Honest communication promotes social cohesion. This is one of the contexts for our news bargaining incentive and for our support for journalism. Social cohesion can be undermined.
Opposition members interjecting— The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! I'm just asking everyone to listen. It was a serious question and we're getting a serious answer.
There's no politics in this question today. So I'll just ask everyone to perhaps show some restraint on these sorts of topics. I thank the House.
Mr ALBANESE: The fact is that social cohesion can be undermined if we can't recognise what is real and what is not real through AI. This is a real issue which we on this side of the House take seriously. Humanity has shared rights and obligations and, whilst AI can bring significant economic benefits that we need to harness, it can't be allowed to remove human interaction.
This is a challenge for our entire society. That's why we're establishing a parliamentary joint select committee on AI today to further this discussion and engagement. It will be chaired by the member for Maribyrnong, with Senator Duniam as the deputy chair.
I encourage all members, as well as people outside the parliament, to engage constructively in this serious process. This is a challenge that should be beyond ideology or politics. We as a society need to engage on these issues because, in 10 years time, the way that we work, the way that we function and the way we engage with each other will be very different.
That is why this is an issue which Australia, I believe very firmly, can provide global leadership on. I invite all members of parliament to engage in this process.