ATN Universities call for responsible AI and a focus on driving productivity
Australia must focus on helping industries and workers utilise artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to drive productivity and strengthen national resilience, the Australian Technology Network (ATN) of Universities says. In a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, ATN Universities calls on the government to prioritise AI investment in helping organisations adopt and deploy…
Australia must focus on helping industries and workers utilise artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to drive productivity and strengthen national resilience, the Australian Technology Network (ATN) of Universities says.
In a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, ATN Universities calls on the government to prioritise AI investment in helping organisations adopt and deploy tools effectively. As Australia’s leading applied universities, ATN members are working to ensure that Australia has the skills, expertise and infrastructure to utilise AI technologies for the benefit of the community.
“Having widespread access to AI technologies means very little if we’re not using them in the right places and to the benefit of our people,” said ATN Universities Executive Director Dr Andy Marks.
“We need to build the skills and capability necessary to thoughtfully harness the potential of AI. To do that, we need to support researchers and industry by working together to identify where AI can benefit productivity, resilience and fairness, prove its value, and then put it to work.”
ATN Universities is calling for the federal government to build on existing programs supporting AI adoption, including by establishing an ongoing national AI adoption network when the AI Adopt Program concludes in 2026–27.
ATN’s member universities – Curtin University, Deakin University, RMIT University, The University of Newcastle and University of Technology Sydney – each already have programs active in supporting adoption and practical use of AI.
The submission highlights existing initiatives across ATN universities that could be scaled up to support the responsible and effective adoption of AI technology, including UTS’ participation in the Safe AI Adoption Model (SAAM) Centre, UTS and Curtin University’s role as anchor partners in the National Industry Innovation Network, RMIT University’s Amazon Web Services (AWS) compute hub, and AI applied research institutes at The University of Newcastle and Deakin University.