AI Advisory Body Scrapped After 15 Months of Expert Search
AI Advisory Body Scrapped After 15 Months of Expert Search
After 15 months and nearly $200,000 spent narrowing 270 AI experts to 12 nominees, the Australian government abruptly cancelled the planned AI advisory body. Originally promised in 2024, the body aimed to establish "AI guardrails" to ensure safe technology use.
Despite a $21.6 million budget allocation, internal communications reveal the project was halted shortly after the shortlist was finalized. Nominees were left in limbo for six months before the body was officially scrapped in August.
In its place, a new AI safety institute is slated to launch in early 2026 with a $29.9 million budget. This new entity will focus on dynamic monitoring of AI risks and regulatory gaps, signaling a shift away from the original plan for mandatory standalone AI legislation.
Prominent experts, including Professor Toby Walsh, have expressed concern that these delays risk missing a critical window for effective regulation, potentially repeating past failures seen in social media oversight.
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