Wednesday, 13 November 2024

Artificial intelligence

Richard WELCH (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (18:39): (1283) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Jobs and Industry. The National Tech Summit was held in Melbourne this week. It was a very important tech conference attended by some very serious players in the tech industry, and in what has become an instantly infamous keynote speech it is reported that the Labor Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs made repeated references to A1 technology – how A1 was sweeping changes in society, how A1 was transforming the economy, how A1 would underpin the future. Of course A1 was actually meant to be AI, artificial intelligence. That a government member, the Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs, can address a tech conference without knowing what AI is has left everybody speechless. One of the greatest challenges governments across the world face is how to successfully integrate AI into our world without stifling it, but preventing its excesses. The businesses at this tech conference gathered precisely because they know the country needs to grasp these opportunities, and they do this by sharing insights, experiences and perspectives. What the Labor government’s faux pas really demonstrates is that this government is not capable or qualified to be sitting at the table, and that is what is really, truly humiliating.

As an entrepreneur with AI patents in my name, whose business brought AI to market, I can tell you that the biggest obstacle businesses will often face is whether or not the government understands and creates an environment in which the technology can succeed, or simply does not get it and gets in the way. How can a government foster and regulate this critical technology if it does not even know what it is? I would also say that if you were in a private sector business investing capital in this space and someone representing your company walked into a public event, putting your firm’s reputation on the line, and spoke so ignorantly as the Labor government did at this forum, they would be sacked before they got back to the office that afternoon.

I believe, above all, that history is driven by economics, and the decisions we make today matter. Economics means, really, jobs, families supporting themselves and having good schools, hospitals and roads. Economics means sovereign capability and national self-sufficiency. AI is a wave heading towards us that will completely transform the economics of production, service provision, finance, law, education, employment and prosperity. This government’s incompetence means we are not participating in that wave, and if we are not participating in that wave, we will be hit by it.

The action I seek from the minister is to explain how it is possible that a member of government can attend a technology conference and not know what AI is, let alone understand its connection to industry and innovation, and to please advise what steps the government will take to address the damage to Victoria’s tech investment reputation.

The PRESIDENT: I am struggling with that, if that comes under that minister’s remit as well. We will look at it.