[LINK] Australian Government Trial of Generative AI for Law, Education, Health, and Aged Care

[David]

IMHO this is just horrifying.  The whole thing smells of management being led into something they really don't understand at all.  The five guiding principles read:

    Participating staff are required to undertake learning module and knowledge assessment specific to the trial. Both of the learning tools build upon the existing Interim guidance for agency use of generative AI <https://architecture.digital.gov.au/generative-ai> that offer direction through the application of golden rules, tactical guidance, use cases, and five principles in practice: 

     1. *Accountability.* APS staff-members must be able to explain, justify, and take ownership of any advice or decisions that where generative AI tools were used to assist the process.
     2. *Transparency and explainability.* Agencies should consider appropriately marking where generative AI was used, and any information generated must be critically examined.
     3. *Privacy protection and security.* The government should not use public generative AI tools with any classified, personal, or sensitive information and should follow the relevant laws and policies.
     4. *Fairness and human-centred values.* The government should avoid biases in generative AI tools that can harm some groups and should involve relevant communities in decision-making.
     5. *Human, societal, and environmental wellbeing.* The government should use generative AI tools in a way that improves the wellbeing of the community, respects right holders, as well as carefully considering Indigenous data sovereignty and governance.

    These five principles in practice expand on Australia’s 8 AI Ethics Principles <https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/australias-artificial-intelligence-ethics-framework/australias-ai-ethics-principles>, a voluntary framework to reduce the risk of negative impact by maintaining safe, reliable, and fair outcomes for Australians.

All fine words, but the very essence of all AI systems for the forseeable future is that they have no value-system, let alone any more general understanding of ethical "principles" or appropriateness.  They're just fuzzy-association (or correlation) processors, which is exactly why they return silly results.  It's interesting to note this problem has been termed "hallucination" by the AI lobby, presumably in an unconscious effort to make AI seem more human-like.

So where are the efficiencies going to come from?  What happens if the 50 agencies have to hire more staff to check & edit AI output, handle complaints from the public and Parliamentarians so on?  My guess is RoboDebt 2.0 as Tom suggests.

_David Lochrin_

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On 7/03/2024 11:32 am, Tom Worthington wrote:
> The Digital Transformation Agency has announced 50 Australian Public Service (APS) agencies are conducting a 6-month trial of Copilot. https://www.dta.gov.au/blogs/aps-trials-generative-ai-explore-safe-and-responsible-use-cases-government
>
> This includes Attorney-General's, Education, Health and Aged Care, Home Affairs, and the National Disability Insurance Agency.
>
> What could possibly go wrong?
>
> RoboDebt 2.0 perhaps? ;-)
>
>
>
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