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

[Roger Clarke]

On 7/3/2024 11:32, 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?

Why not ask Copilot what could possibly go wrong with a 6-month trial of 
Copilot by 50 Australian Public Service (APS) agencies?


> RoboDebt 2.0 perhaps? ;-)

As a follow-on question, why not ask Copilot whether the use of Copilot 
in this manner might lead to automated inferencing, decision-making and 
action by Australian Public Service (APS) agencies that will have 
serious negative consequences for some of the parties affected by those 
inferences, decisions and actions?


As an aside, is it clear whether (a) the trials will be against 
independent data collections, or (b) all trials will be pooling their 
inputs and the effects of their inputs, or (c) all inputs and outputs 
from all trials will be added to a single meta-pool?  (This has 
sovereignty implications, which seems like it matters).

In any of those cases, why not suggest to DTA that each agency 
participating in the trial be encouraged to ask questions of this nature 
as part of their pilot projects?


And, as a meta-question, does that last suggestion represent an attempt 
to poison the data collection, or to enrich it, and/or to accelerate 
Copilot's self-awareness?

(IANAP, and, not being a philosopher, I'm unsure how far self-awareness 
is beyond self-referentiality.  For starters, does Copilot in any sense 
'know' that its name is Copilot?).


-- 
Roger Clarke                            mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au
T: +61 2 6288 6916   http://www.xamax.com.au  http://www.rogerclarke.com

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA 

Visiting Professorial Fellow                          UNSW Law & Justice
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University