STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator GROGAN (South Australia—Deputy Government Whip in the Senate) (13:44): Today I'm proud to read a speech from Breanne, a 17-year-old from the federal electorate of Grey, who has submitted her speech through the Raise Our Voice campaign. The following are Breanne's words to our parliament and to our country: There are many concerning issues that will shape my future, such as the cost of living, housing affordability, and financial disadvantage for higher education.

But the major issue is the rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into everyday life. Now don't get me wrong, AI is a highly beneficial tool that I myself use, whether it be finding the right word, breaking down concepts or getting feedback. But the technology that supports me now is also changing the future that I am preparing for.

From job automation and loss of human agency to deepfakes and more, this tool is becoming increasingly capable of learning the ways we work, write and live. The question is: If AI becomes more capable, how much control are we willing to give it? AI can mimic the way that I have been taught to write in school, automate my future job, steal my human agency, and make us question whether something is real or not.

Therefore, I put forward that Parliament introduce laws that hold Big Tech companies accountable for the AI technology they create and release into our lives. Don't let my future, and the bright futures of all young people, be shadowed by a technology we cannot regulate. Protect our human agency, so we can move forward into a future we can trust.

Thank you, Breanne. I'm very proud to have read out your words today and delighted to see so many of my colleagues doing the same for the raise our voices campaign.