Responsible AI in Australia
On 26 July 2023, the ACA made a submission to the Federal Government regarding Responsible AI in Australia as part of a consultation across sectors, professions and industries to identify and establish appropriate regulatory frameworks. The ACA will continue to engage with government as its AI policies are developed and implemented.
How can Artificial Intelligence (AI) be used ethically, safely and responsibly? How can it improve our lives, the work we do and the places we occupy? What are the risks when we trust in AI?
As the association representing architectural practices in Australia, we foresee many changes, positive and negative, in the nature of our work as a result of the implementation of AI in our industry. As a profession dedicated to the creation and renewal of built form in a safe, ethical and sustainable way, there are many existing challenges we are already confronting such as cost imperatives, procurement practices, ethical considerations and getting the right talent and skills for the job.
There appears to be a real problem in implementing new technologies in an ordered, coordinated fashion. For example, the Building Confidence Report (Shergold and Weir, 2018) outlines many of the challenges the construction industry faces, including building quality, compliance, liability, contracting arrangements and training.
As a fragmented industry with many small contractors, the adoption of new technologies has been uneven and uncoordinated, and the adoption of AI in the industry could result in fundamental restructuring of the industry. It could no doubt solve some of the issues of compliance and quality but could equally lead to issues of uncertain liability and risk shifting, where the architect’s current professional responsibilities for their work are blurred by the use of AI in their practices.
The architectural profession in Australia is regulated under state and territory consumer legislation in order to ensure the consumer is protected against unprofessional conduct. Any use of AI by architects should ensure the rights and protections of consumers is not reduced, particularly where health and life safety are concerned.
Submission
The Australian Government is currently undertaking a consultation across sectors, professions and industries to identify and establish appropriate regulatory frameworks. The ACA is committed to engage with the Government as its AI policies are developed and implemented.