Australia's AI Roadmap: Solving problems, growing the economy and improving our quality of life
AlphaBeta is proud to have contributed to the Australian Government’s AI roadmap, which identifies opportunities for Australia to capture the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) over the next 10 years.
The roadmap was co-developed by CSIRO’s Data61 and the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science to guide investment in AI and machine learning. It identifies three high-potential areas of AI specialisation based on Australia’s strengths, domestic and export potential:
- Natural resources and environment
- Health, ageing and disability
- Cities, towns and infrastructure
To capture this opportunity, Australia will need to establish the right foundations for AI, including workforce and R&D capabilities; infrastructure and cybersecurity; and standards, data governance and access frameworks.
Importantly, the report finds that Australia will need a total of 758,700 AI workers by 2023, requiring the AI workforce to grow by 20,000 workers every year until then. This is a challenge with Australia currently producing only 5,000 domestic ICT university graduates per year.