AI Safety Institute underfunded for international credibility
Experts told parliament Australia's $7.5 million AI safety budget is too small.
AI researchers Janet Egan and Dr Sam Winter-Levy warned a parliamentary committee on Friday. Australia's AI Safety Institute does not have enough funding.
The institute has just $7.5 million in funding. Egan said this is tiny compared to what other countries invest.
Janet Egan told the inquiry the institute has a very broad role. It advises the entire government while struggling to address critical questions about AI safety.
Egan is a former Prime Minister's office staffer now based in Washington D.C. She said building large-scale AI computing infrastructure in Australia would give the nation leverage over frontier companies.
Without more funding, she warned, Australia's AI Safety Institute cannot be taken seriously on the global stage.
Why it mattersNations that build large-scale AI compute infrastructure gain strategic leverage. They also get preferred access to frontier AI models and companies.
AustraliaAustralia risks losing influence in global AI development unless it urgently invests in computing infrastructure and government capacity to negotiate with AI companies.
Corroborated bythenightly.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
