Experts Outline Steps for Advancing AI Strategy
SYDNEY — Australia must urgently enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) capability to keep pace with global leaders, according to a new editorial from the Social Cyber Institute released on March 29. The call to action follows years of delayed efforts compared to countries like Canada and China.
Institute co-founders Professor Greg Austin and Professor Glenn Withers AO highlighted that Australia has lagged behind since 2017, when other nations laid down ambitious AI strategies. Their editorial urges Australia to treat AI as a strategic capability requiring bold government action.
“Australia lost eight to nine years in its take-up of the AI challenge compared with front‑runner countries,” said Austin, an expert in cyber and tech policy. Withers added, “That means moving beyond gentle nudges, grants, and incrementalism towards more radical but practical shifts.”
Proposed Measures to Boost AI Development
The experts propose four key steps for advancing Australia’s AI strategy. These include legislating AI as a national priority, creating a National AI Security and Productivity Act, and establishing a sovereign AI infrastructure. They also advocate for driving AI adoption across the entire economy.
The call for action comes as global trends indicate that Chinese AI researchers will soon outnumber their U.S. Counterparts. The editorial emphasises the importance of international cooperation with partners like Canada, Japan, and the EU.
“We have done hard things before: breakthrough advances in wi-fi, floating the dollar, building Medicare,” Withers stated. “The question is not whether artificial intelligence will reshape Australia, but how determined Australia will be to produce AI outcomes in our favour.”
Last updated: 29 June 2026, 12:38 pm
