Introduction
The challenge
Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, is revolutionising the way we do business and has the potential to transform the way governments deliver for the communities they serve. Yet, as with any transformation, there are barriers to adoption relating to culture, trust, and resourcing. Our challenge is to overcome these hurdles and facilitate timely adoption to deliver better outcomes for the Australian people.
The vision
The AI Plan for the Australian Public Service (APS) will improve government service delivery, policy outcomes, efficiency, and productivity through substantially increasing the use of AI in government.
Every public servant will have the training and guidance required to use generative AI safely and responsibly, alongside secure access to generative AI tools, and every agency will have a Chief AI Officer to drive adoption, with AI use tracked and reported on.
The Australian Government is focused on capturing the opportunity of AI. It’s vital to ensure the benefits of this technology are shared equitably, creating a higher standard of living for all Australians.
To do this, we are broadening the safe and responsible use of AI by government agencies. By focusing on improving the AI maturity of the public sector, we can unlock the benefits of this technology while minimising the potential for harm.
In practice this means faster, more consistent government services, enhanced policy advice and a more capable workforce.
To better serve the public, every public servant will have:
- foundational training and capability supports to use generative AI tools safely, responsibly and effectively
- access to generative AI tools
- clear guidance on how to use these tools responsibly
- leadership and support from Chief AI Officers to promote adoption
- opportunities to collaborate, build on and reuse work of others.
Taking an adaptive and collaborative approach
Generative AI capabilities are increasingly embedded across digital infrastructure including search engines, enterprise tools and everyday consumer services, often without explicitly notifying users. This ubiquitous integration creates both opportunities and governance challenges for government agencies.
The technology is also advancing rapidly. The plan establishes the foundations for government action, and will iterate and adapt to realise future opportunities in a changing technology environment. Throughout this process, we will continue to engage with our employees and their unions. It is vital that we listen to our people on how best to adopt AI, where the benefits can be achieved, what problems we can solve for them and the community, and what concerns they have. We will manage this transition in an inclusive way that leverages the experience and expertise of our people.
We will also work to enhance cross-sector collaboration between government, industry, community and academia to accelerate the spread of technological expertise and innovation. This will build trust through transparency and codesign, while ensuring initiatives remain people centred and responsive to real world needs. Active engagement through hackathons, participation in collaborative initiatives like the AI CoLab and other innovative approaches create space for new solutions and capability building, driving innovation in partnership with the private sector, research organisations and state and territory governments.