This joint statement is on behalf of:
- Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- Australian Industry Group
- Business Council of Australia
- Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia
Australia's leading business representatives have rejected recommendations from Jobs and Skills Australia's AI report that prioritise overregulation, while welcoming the approach to developing AI skills across the workforce.
The Report's recommendations one to four, if adopted, would undermine technology adoption by businesses of all sizes, harming workers, businesses and the Australian community.
The recommendations propose a government-led, centralised stewardship of Australia's AI and digital tech transition, creating additional bureaucratic layers over market and non-market sectors. This could include imposing an entirely new government institution, sidelining market decisions for top-down processes.
This approach would undermine businesses' ability to run their own operations and choose suitable technology for their business, workforce and the challenges and opportunities they face.
There is no evidence to support a government stewardship approach for AI, or for more regulation, as AI is adopted more widely across our economy.
We are also concerned about JSA's notion of 'co-design' with AI rollout, which seems to mirror calls by the ACTU to veto technology that benefits workers.
We strongly oppose any proposal for veto power over AI usage in the workplace.
Instead, we should focus on building a digitally skilled workforce capable of ensuring Australia effectively seizes the opportunities and benefits that AI offers, and resist the urge to overregulate productivity-enhancing technology like AI.
Therefore, we strongly support recommendations five to ten in JSA's Report.
These recommendations focus on increasing digital and AI skills, which will be essential to unlock productivity gains across the economy, delivering benefits to businesses, workers and communities across Australia.
The Government needs to play a critical role in supporting the uplift of these skills, which is needed to ensure businesses have access to workers with the relevant skills that will ensure Australia can seize the opportunities and benefits of AI.
However, any productivity gains from a digital skills strategy would be undermined by JSA's recommendation of a government-led AI transition stewardship, which would do no more than impose additional red tape, add to complexity and increase costs, discourage investment and delay decision-making and strategic adoption of changing technologies.
