Albanese to compare pivotal moment in AI to renewable energy transition as he outlines approach

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is preparing to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Sydney about the rapidly growing AI sector. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters View image in fullscreen Prime minister Anthony Albanese is preparing to deliver a highly anticipated speech in Sydney about the rapidly growing AI sector. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters Albanese to compare pivotal moment in AI to renewable energy transition as he outlines approach Labor sources say the PM will discuss safety concerns in speech this week but will not provide an update on copyright reforms to protect artists Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese will describe the progress of AI as an inflection point for society on par with the renewable energy transition, but is not expected to detail progress on copyright reforms to protect creative industries. The prime minister will deliver a highly anticipated speech in Sydney on Wednesday to address growing concerns around social license and the necessary policy guardrails for AI, datacentres, and the ability of big tech to profit from Australian intellectual property. The speech comes as newly released government documents show AI giant Anthropic cited Australia’s policy uncertainty as a major impediment to new investments. AI companies want to water down Australia’s copyright laws. Artists are outraged, Labor is split Read more According to Labor sources, Albanese is expected to focus his remarks on safety and compliance considerations around AI, including building trust in the community about workforce changes, defence implications, and development of energy-intensive infrastructure such as datacentres. Labor is planning to take a more active role in the rollout of the rapidly growing sector, which is potentially worth billions to the economy, but has observed heated community division over datacentres overseas. Insiders compared the policy challenges presented by AI as similar to those presented by social media, and said planning for the future now will be more effective than waiting for the wave of technological change to arrive. Polling shows Australians are split on how they view AI. The Guardian Essential poll in May found 36% of voters thought AI carried more risk than opportunity, while 41% saw risk and opportunity about the same. Just 22% thought AI had more opportunity than risk. Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email An invitation to Albanese’s speech, seen by Guardian Australia, says it will include discussion of “the challenges and opportunities” of AI, as well as “the responsibility this creates for government”. “Every bit as importantly, we can bring our enduring values of fairness and opportunity to this task,” the invitation says. “To ensure that AI earns its social licence, driving growth without undercutting conditions, fragmenting our society or damaging our environment.” Labor sources said the speech was the next step in a whole-of-government project, after mo