The heads of ACCC and ACMA, as well as the eSafety Commissioner and the Information Commissioner, have made a joint submission about the challenges and opportunities of AI and how it relates to their regulatory roles.

In their submission to a government discussion paper on safe and responsible AI, the four agencies, who comprise the Digital Platform Regulators Forum (DP-REG), stress they will remain crucial to the national response to AI.

The submission says AI presents new opportunities but also new challenges. 

“The increasing adoption of AI – in particular, generative AI – could have broad-ranging benefits and risks for Australia’s economy and society,” they state.

“Immediate impacts of this technology include risks to consumer protection, competition, media and the information environment, privacy and online safety.”

Strengthening regulation

The group says there’s a need to consider whether their regulatory roles will require strengthening.

“Where gaps are identified, the government should consider how existing frameworks may be strengthened and enhanced before consideration is given to creating a separate regime specific to this technology,” the group says.

The submission also notes that AI technology could  affect the ability of Australian regulators to do their jobs, including frustrating their investigative powers to access algorithms and technical material stored in other jurisdictions.

It also warns that generative AI can be used to  create texts that might “be misused to frustrate public submission processes”, which could strain staff and resources, and make it “difficult to accept and consider public submissions made in good faith”.

The submission also considers the impact of AI in consumer exposure to scams; and it’s impact on product safety; anti-competition algorithmic collusion; media misinformation; and privacy and online safety including the creation of deepfakes and synthetic images.

Read the full submission here.

It follows the release of DP-REG’s Strategic Priorities in July, which include assessing the impact of algorithms, improving transparency and increased collaboration between the four members with a focus on understanding the benefits, risks and harms of generative AI.

DP-REG is lead by ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb, ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin, eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant and Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner Angelene Falk.